What She Became
by Writersdream18
Summary: Stuck in a world inside his own, always protecting him, saving him, yet he never knew she was there
1. I can see you

He took her face in his hands, stroking her cheeks with his fingers in the gentlest of caresses. His eyes bore into hers, finally seeing her in ways she had only dreamed. He toward over her like a god, leaning into her, forehead pressed to hers, desperate to touch her. "I always see you," he whispered, "even when you think I can't." She smiles coyly at him. And when he kisses her it was the goodbye they couldn't bare to say. He lets her go slowly. His hands lingering in her hair, his eyes memorizing every inch of her face. She is the only figure in the room he sees, nothing else can distract him. He doesn't waste a moment and memorizes her smile, how her eyes brighten as she whispers his name, his real name. And then as if the weight of the universe weighs down upon him, he tears away from her for the last time.

She fades away slowly, and he doesn't look back, but he knows when she is finally gone, knowing it is forever. He goes about of what lingers of the day, masking his misery from his companion. He saves the world, again and again, never once looking back. He knows he should stash the memories of his wife somewhere hidden in the essence of his mind, away from himself to stop the pain. But he brings out the memories from time and time again marveling and in awe of each thought. It gives him strength because she had given him strength, but now she was gone, and it takes what little strength he has to remain in control. He sees her lovely face, her mouth cocked in that arrogant smirk he had learned to love so dearly, then shoves the memory into the far back of his mind; under lock and key. No matter how great the loss, the pain never lessened, yet he hides it well, even from himself.

With a final last stand, and the memory of her still fresh in his mind, he seizes the day and conquers the darkness that plagues the world he strives to protect. He is the Guardian Angle of the universe his companion tells him. She oftentimes thinks of him as a quirky god that lives in a box. But even she knows that any savior, no matter how pure, is plagued by darkness. Even if it is a little, the wicked darkness is there, for every hero has his demons.

However, not all demons that plague him were his own, for there was a silent horror that neither of them could see. She often wonders, if the savior of the universe needs a savior as well, and sometimes fancies herself that she is his savior, yet she knows she is not enough.

She sees him weep behind his facade of dishonest gaiety, and wonders what could make this god weep, for she never knew of his wife. She stands with him, watching as he presses every button he could reach, while babbling some nonsense she could never understand, but she knows he is fighting hard to distract himself.

She feels a cold presence shift beside her and she shivers when an ice tipped hand caresses her cheek. However, as soon as it came, the fearful cold vanishes as if it never were, and she dismisses it without a thought.

They don't know of the demons that plague them both. They never notice how close they come to deaths open doors. They never notice the figure that stands in the darkest of shadows. A creature who's eyes gleam a dull gold in the dark, her face firm and cold. They can not see this mysterious creature, this unknown savior. They are oblivious to the demons that threaten to tear them apart. And when they turn their back she is there to deliver them from the demons deathly touch.

She was there when he had kissed his wife goodbye, then watches as the woman vanishes from sight. The knowledge that the woman is gone seems to weaken the man everyone seems to call the Doctor. But she remains in the shadow, knowing he would pick up the pieces where they had fallen and replace them best he could.

She watches him as he saves the world, and in return she saves him from the invisible demons which always seem to cling to him like poison vines.

She is his guardian angel.

She remains in the shadows, never daring to show her face; knowing full well he could never see her even if she wanted him to.

She watches his companions come and go, sees the hurt and pain it causes him when they leave. She sees him marry the strange woman with wild hair, and it is only then does she feel something stir irritably in her chest.

He goes to a planet and has a picnic with his companion, she hears him laugh and watches out of the corner of her eye as they bask in the sun, unaware of the demons that crawl on their bellies, reaching toward them on the grassy meadow. She fights them off while the man and his companion bask in the bliss of the sun, oblivious to her screams as a demon claws at her face.

She lies on the grass close enough to hear him laugh while she heaves with exhaustion, blood trickling down her temple and gashes in her side. A delicious cool breeze dances across the grass, cooling her heated face. Birds sing high in the sky, and the companion pours herself a bubbly drink that makes bubbles pop out of her mouth when she laughs. The creature's wounds stitch themselves back together with quick precision, and though her skin erases all traces of a battle, she still feels the ragged gashes reaching deep and taring apart her iron mask.

She feels the raging monster living within her stir and she fights to remain in control. The monster howls with fury at the resistance, but she grits her teeth, and pushes the beast back into his cage. She sits with them and watches with invisible eyes as they enjoy a day that is peaceful and pleasant, and all the while she fights away the dark demons.

On good days, she sits lazily on the railing of the TARDIS, watching as he tries to explain a complex object to his skimpy companion. Her mouth twitches in a half smirk as he rambles on and never noticing his young companion quietly leaving the room. He continues on his little rant even when he finally notices he is alone. He is missing someone, she realizes abruptly. She wonders who this person is, and wonders, if not for a moment, if she was the one he missed.

She hides in the shadows even though he can never see her; however, she wonders at his companion. This companion of his seems different than the rest.

Once a demon had reached out to the girl with bloody claws, and at that instant she turned and her face paled as if she sensed an evil darkness near by. She leapt from her seat to save the companion, and with golden eyes flashing fire the demon melted away with a scream of agony. And when she turned, the companions eyes rested on her as if in recognition, as if she could see past the invisible barrier and could see the creature with golden eyes. She stiffened and stared back at the companion with hard eyes. The breath caught in the young girls throat, but her eyes soon become shadowed and they wondered away as if realizing she was being a silly fool to be scared of the thin air.

And ever since that moment the companion, Clara was her name, seemed to since her when ever she stood near. Clara's eyes would wonder over to her and stare for a moment too long.

Once the creature reached out and slid a finger down her arm. Clara stiffened, then gasped in surprise at the ghost like touch.

It was a test.

Clara could since the creature, but she still remained blind to the invisible world around her.


	2. No Longer Remember

One day, a day that turned into one of those 'run for your life' kind of days, Clara and her Doctor were locked inside a room with no door. How one could firstly run into a room with no door and to be locked inside it was a mystery to them both. For they had simply run down a dark alleyway, then run straight into a brightly lit room with nothing inside, save for some wires and cables dangling from the walls and ceiling. How long they were there, Clara lost track of time. Having banged on every wall of the room, running her hand over every inch of each wall, while hoping for a secret trigger to let them out, to resulting to no avail. She slumped to the ground and watched tiredly as the Doctor swiped his screwdriver over the walls and cables, while he muttered to himself. He was lost in his own world, absorbed with finding the key of escape. His mind whirled with excitement with this puzzle, and so fascinated was he when the beep of the screwdriver revealed a possible escape, he nearly missed his companions gasp of surprise.

"What? What is it?" he asked, not bothering to look where she stared as he ran his fingers experimentally down the wall.

"Who was that?" Clara murmured more to herself than to him.

"Who? What?" this time the Doctor glanced up from his work. He was sure there was no other being in this room other than Clara and himself. Yet as he glanced into each corner of the room, he felt the presence of a foreboding figure.

"That girl," Clara stood and stepped hesitantly toward an invisible figure neither of them could see, "It was just for a moment, but, there was a girl dressed in pink...and I think, yellow."

"A girl in pink and yellow?" He stared quizzically at Clara, then at the space around them. There was a haunted awareness in the air; they both expected a ghost to pop up from a darkened corner and scare them to wits end.

"Yes," Clara whispered, "her eyes were yellow...or was it gold? They seemed to glow," she stepped further into the room, her eyes searching for the invisible ghost. If she had stepped any further she would have collided into the creature of which she spoke. The creature looked at her in wonder. Clara had seen her! Was this a sign? She glanced at the Doctor and found no recognition in his eyes. She felt her self sag, in either relief or disappointment she could not know. But she knew now for certain that his girl of pink and yellow, he could no longer remember.


	3. Her Punishment

It was rare when the Doctor and his companion were not running for their lives, or saving a desperate soul from a pitiful fate. Even rarer was it for the creature to spend a few precious moments sitting contentedly, while watching the odd couple enjoy their day without any hungry demons nearby. Today was that kind of day. The creature sat on the railing of the TARDIS, gazing as the two laughed gayly. Her mouth twitched as the Doctor tried to explain a complicated element to his bewildered companion. She understood of what he spoke, of course she did, she is no longer what she used to be. She puts her input here and there, responding to Doctor's questions, contradicting him when her opinion differs, but of course, her words go unheard. She consider's it therapy, talking to him, or anyone, even though no one can hear her; but the very act responding, or imagining a conversation, brings a since of calm to the pending madness. Or maybe she was already mad, she was in fact talking to herself.

Spending nearly five hundred years with him brought about all since of madness, but then she had always wanted to stay with him forever, now forever is what she had, and she almost regretted it. Trapped behind a wall of isolation was not the ideal of living an immortal life, and now she completely comprehended why the Doctor needed his companions. Living alone will drive one to the brink of utter and unreasonable madness. Only in her case, it was different, and arguably even worse. She was alone, yet she wasn't. Cloaked in a blanket of invisibility she lived and breathed the same air, but did not exist in his world. She liked to think she lived in the forth dimension, a alternate reality within her own world; a one way mirror.

And as she continued to watch she became aware she no longer felt satisfied by sitting idly. She felt restless with a frightening need to scream and kill something, _anything_. She wanted someone to look at her, to truly look and see her as she fought for her survival along with the survival of the other lives. Such a task should never be done alone, the Doctor knew that all too well, but for all she knew she lived alone, with only the demons to play with.

She had understood why the Doctor always had a companion. Even he could not stand the silence, the loneliness, with no one to hold his hand.

 _Loneliness..._

After so many years of living in confinement in this mirror world, but never existing, never touching, never being seen or heard, it might as well be living in hell. It was terror to live in a world of demon's and monsters, always aware of the things hiding behind her back.

This was her punishment. She lived, but was invisible to the world and to those she loved. She was destined to save the Doctor, again and again. Protecting him from the world that tried to devour him, save him when evil tried to snatch him from existence.

It was already punishment enough that she lived in a world where she was locked away with demons, but to have the one she loved never once glance at her, to hear her cries as she screamed his name, never know it was _she_ who held his hand as he stood alone; this was her true punishment.


	4. Bad Wolf

She follows them day and night, following them to the ends of the earth then falling over the edge and on the next planet. The universe becomes a blur until she can no longer distinguish one planet from the next. _This is what it must be like,_ she lets her thoughts wonder, _to see so much of the vast universe it loses its splendor._ And with each passing day, the growing boredom makes her more restless, more careless. She tries to aggravate the demons from their hiding spot just to blast their pathetic skin into ashes. She ravishes the moments when they leap at her, claws gleaming in the sun rays, and watch them scream and wine as they burn.

 _You like it don't you?_ The hiss of a whisper ghosts her ear, but she ignores the voice, and instead watches a demon whimper as his insides tare and twist inside him.

 _Let them pay. Someone always has to pay, why does it have to be you? Show them how merciless you can be, let them pay for the blood._ The voice echos through her head clouding her mind with a thick blanket, shrouding her sight, and her conscious mind. She feels tired and wants to sleep even as the demons continue to rage about her. She falters slightly, the blanket wrapping tighter around her, her eyes drooping, and she feels herself falling away from the world into a black precipice. Something shoves her down, wrenching her away from the world and thrusting her away under lock and key. She is helpless, a victim to her own mind. She is bound in unbreakable chains, and all she can do is scream and beg to be released. But of course, this is a moment of freedom for the beast, it is not going back to its prison so easily. It shakes its head at her, _so pathetic you are_ , it croons, _you think you can save yourself, save them, from these so called demons? Dear one, you cannot even protect yourself._ She rages against the cage, shes broken out before, she'll break out again, but she grows weak, her limbs are no longer her own, her mind taken by the monster of her own making, and she crumbles into the beckoning warmth of the dark.

She awakens back on the TARDIS. Her eyes slowly open, a pounding sensation throbs in her head. She passes a hand across her eyes, rubbing her face aggressively. She feels the effects of a heavy sleep, and it takes more effort than it normally should to raise her head from the floor. There is no memory of what had transpired of the monster, and she dreads seeing what it had done. She rises to her feet, shaking, her muscles convulsing, shaking her head to clear what is left of the threads of confusion. She is in the library, a place she avoids, mainly because it is always so quit, almost lonely. As she unsteady walks toward the door, she notices there is no disruption, which was something she had expected when the monster had taken control. She had anticipated chaos, perhaps even cities burned to the ground, but she was unprepared for such normalcy. In the next room she hears the Doctor exclaiming something, and Clara laughing at whatever antic he had done. It wasn't right.

"What did you do?" she whispers to the air, glancing around, almost waiting for something to blast into a raging fire.

 _Why do you always assume the worst?_ The slithering hiss blows gently through her head. _I only did what you were trying to accomplish._

"Accomplish?" she scoffs, "you only want to see the world burn. What did you do? Who did you kill this time?" The monster snarls and gnashes its gleaming teeth. _You are weak without me, you would be dead without me. Look around you, do you see the world burning? Do you see your precious Doctor still breathing? I protected him, saved him even. Without me you would have failed._

"I could have done just the same if you hadn't been banging around." She retorts, how she wishes she could wring its neck, but she might as well be wringing her own. She hears a laugh and she can imagine it smiling mischievously.

 _So weak, so pathetic._

She narrows her eyes, balling her fists. "You know nothing of me."

 _On the contrary,_ its voice rumbling like low thunder, _I'm inside your head, I know everything. Every thought, every...desire._ At that moment the Doctor rushes by, dragging Clara by the hand. _You want out, out of this place just as much as I do._

"Go to hell." Is her only response.

 _Darling, we are already there._

She wishes there was a curtain, or a switch to turn off its voice, but the voice continuous to echo throughout the day, and through each year, and every century. All these years and the Bad Wolf never left her.


	5. Almost

Living in an invisible world has its perks. When the boredom becomes overwhelming she likes to entertain herself. Sometimes by having imaginary conversations with the Doctor, or sometimes by playing tricks on his companion - this became her favorite pastime. She wanted to test how much Clara could sense her. While Clara slept, she would hum an old lullaby her mum used to sing her, her humming would go unheard, but the sleeping girl became restless. This activity didn't last long, for the poor girl began to have dark circles around her eyes, so the creature resorted to other antics. She would move certain items around the room when Clara wasn't looking, or occasionally hide something, snickering while she observed Clara frantically hunting for the item she 'misplaced.' She didn't dare try any of these activities on the Doctor, not that he could sense her anyway. She couldn't place an answer as to why; maybe it was because she was a coward, that he would investigate these odd occurrences and would, somehow, find her. But by no means could he ever, and she was almost content with that.

Almost is such a petty word. She almost wished he could see her, she almost desired for him to acknowledge her. She almost wanted to ask him why he lied to her, why he left her, and if he regretted never telling her the truth. She had been angry before. Oh, how the rage consumed her when the truth had finally made itself known. It had casually knocked on her front door, then burst through, leaving her life in shambles. Now, however, the rage had tempered out, and all she wanted was reconciliation, almost. She didn't know what would happen if he saw what had become of her, what he would think, and she berated herself for even caring, but the nagging curiosity never left that corner of her mind. _Come now,_ the voice would insist, _all this power and you never bother to experiment with it. There is so much more you can do, just try, let me help you, and you can ask these questions to the dear Doctor himself._ She would ignore the monster, but its words never went unconsidered.


	6. It will be alright

Sometimes she wanted to throttle him. Did he have to constantly be on the move? Did he have to skip around every inch of each planet, and discover every nook and cranny? Answer every call or plea? Every time he stepped out of the protection of his great blue box, she would grit her teeth and follow behind him like the obedient servant she was. And while he enjoyed himself, solving one mystery after the next, she would force back the blood craving demons from sinking their teeth into his flesh. It wasn't she didn't enjoy the traveling, it was what she always wanted, but the fighting never stopped. It was always hardest when he would run off with Clara, and keeping track of them both while fighting back the dark horde of claws, was quite humanly impossible. Thank god she wasn't human, but at the end of the day, she could barely move with exhaustion.

"Oh, stop! Come back," she called at their backs, dodging a swipe from a long armed demon. More of the ugly beasts move past her, slithering toward the unexpected couple.

They aim to break free of their isolated world, and maybe they think she is the key to their escape, for a fatal attack on the Doctor and his companion would surely break her enough to allow them their freedom. She lets out a string of curses, turning her back on her own attacker and charges after them. As soon as she starts to run, a lace of fire springs down her back, lashing her back around. The mechanical laugh of the demon gurgles with the saliva dripping from its muzzle, her blood dripping down its claws. She ignores the pain, she has to, it will go away after a while. With a flick of her hand the demon crumbles into itself, its skin turning into black liquid, until it is nothing but a dark puddle in the street. She sprints away, finding the odd couple with the rest of the demons breathing down their necks.

"Go to hell," she hisses, and with a golden flash of light the demons combust into ashes. Finally, she lets out the breath she had been holding, the pain along her back still throbbing. She takes off the jacket she was wearing, inspecting the slashes the demon caused. Shaking her head she flaps it once, trying to shake off the crusted blood in the seems.

"See what you did?" She snaps at the Doctor. "If you hadn't run off like you did, you wouldn't have ruined my favorite jacket! Remember what you always told me? Never run off. Well you should follow your own bloody rule." The Doctor moves past her, never even sensing the sizzling glare of the creature. She sighs and follows after them.

"I mean really, the least you could do is offer a lady a new jacket."

They continued to walk.

"No ya wouldn't would ya. Too human of you."

Clara stopped to inspect a flower with glowing petals.

"But, then, I'm not really a lady." She lets the jacket fall to the ground, leaving it in a heap in a puddle. It was ruined anyway, and she didn't know how to fix it. Instead, she went to stand next to the Doctor's side.

"You know I'm getting tired of this one way conversation. How about you try for a change? Stop leaving me with all the dirty work." He stoops to pick up Clara's hand and they continue their walk to where ever they were going, she wasn't paying attention when a destination was declared.

"Right then," picking along next to them, "not in the mood today I see. S'okay, I can wait." She hums for a while as they walk, the suns warm, and for a moment she was content. They walked side by side, the Doctor in one of his usual rambles, and Clara asked questions about the new world around them. It felt nice, even though the gashes in her back stung, she felt the tissues knitting themselves back together. It was alright, she thought, it _will_ be alright. But even with the suns warmth, her heart still felt cold. And even in the bright light of day, the foreboding shadows still crept along behind her. "I'm going insane," she muttered, and stopped her pace along side the Doctor, letting them trail ahead.

She felt sore and tired, her age taking a claim on her. Playing pretend didn't help much, because in the end the reality of her world stormed through her gates, and the cold rush burned away any warmth. No more warmth, no comfort, no family, no lover, nothing. Not even him, he was also gone from her, even though he stood in front of her. No one should be isolated, it warps the mind and darkens the soul. Pretending the arms of her mother where around her only caused her to start awake in the night, shuddering when realizing it was never real. The warmth of the suns wasn't even real, she couldn't feel it, she wasn't part of that world.

She hung her head, pitying herself for her own stupidity.


	7. What are you?

Some days, she wondered if it would be possible to let the dark wave of claws to ascend on her, letting them tear her apart. But would good would that do? This world didn't comprehend the meaning of death, if she was fatally wounded, dying, bleeding out, she would slip away for only a moment then be sucked back down into her body, completely healed. The demons, as well, never completely died. Their ashes would twist into the wind, forming a new body for its original host. She would gladly take the rebirth of the demons over the fact they seemed to be multiplying.

"What, is it mating season?" She would snarl, sizzling a small demon back into ashes. For the past two months, however, there had been a lull in the attacks, and for that she was completely grateful. She could enjoy herself, for what it seemed the first time in centuries. And like a fool she let down her guard.

It was as if the demons had been purposely holding back, waiting for the moment when she stupidly put down her guard, did they then unleash a terror with such fury she had never known they possessed. Waves upon waves of needlelike claws raking down her neck, gouging her stomach, lashing at her face.

She was a _god_ , gifted with powers no being should ever begin to comprehend, yet the waves of black claws over powered her and they slashed and ripped her open.

She fought for her life, for the Doctors, for Clara's, and she payed with her blood. She screamed like a made woman, blood foaming at her mouth, as she wrenched off the head of a demon. She fought wildly, her life on the edge of a precipice, and it was not enough. She could not fail, she could never fail _him._ She spurred her powers until she was left convulsing with no strength to lift up her hand.

 _Let me help you. Let me out._

"Shut up!" She collapsed to the ground and the demons laughed as they watched the creature fall at their feet. She was failing, falling to the ground, and already the demons had turned away from her, ready to pounce upon their next two victims which were walking away, unconscious of the battle scene behind them. They stood on a beach, the Doctor with some alien tech in his hands, trying to decipher the puzzle the tech challenged, Clara whispering something into his ear, something smart perhaps, she was always smart.

They were going to die.

She let out a battle cry of rage and fury and stood once more to fight away the pending darkness. She stood alone in front an army of demons, with no soul to stand at her back, and she was afraid.

Her faltered, pained steps earned her laughs and jeers from the demons as they watched her pathetic attempt to stop them. She chocked on her blood and tripped on her feet, but gathered her strength together one last time. With a shriek that would have shaken the sky, she released a pulse of golden light that turned the remaining demons to dust. She is safe, they were safe, but she fell for a final time to the blood soaked mud.

Her eyes were heavy, but before she succumbed to the darkness she saw a flash of light, a sound as loud and frightening as thunder, and the world

Her head hurt, and she groaned wishing she could go back to the warm darkness for a while longer. She slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes, clearing them from crusted sweat. When the fog cleared her weary mind, she became aware of two entities. One, she was back in the TARDIS laying on her favorite coach, a pillow tucked under her head. The second, a person with wild curly hair leaned down over her. Her eyes still unfocused, she shoved herself from the cushions, trying to gain an intimidating stance. A laugh echoed through the room.

"Don't fall down again sweetie, you took a bad hit you did."

She stilled, even though her eyes were struggling to adjust, there was no mistake this being was addressing her. A demon, it had to be, but she sways on her feet, the warm pulse of her strength decapitating, not even the monster made a move to bend its caged bars. Her eyes flared, the gold sparks flashing for a moment.

"What are you?" She croaked, she felt a slip of gathering strength in her fingertips and summoned it to build. The wild hair shakes, as if the being was laughing slightly. The creatures could just make out the figure of a woman.

"I suppose I'm many things." The woman reaches out toward her, either to offer her a hand or take her by the throat, she took no chance. With what little strength she gathered, she let it burst out, though the gold was dim, it hurtled toward the woman in a desperate push. She flew across the room, smacking into the wall with a thud. Immediately, the woman rose to her feet, a hand reaching inside her coat to reveal a small gun, which she blatantly pointed at the hunched creature.

"In what world is it a custom to attack your saviors?" The women speculated, trying to regain her breath; her gun still pointed at the creatures head. The creature stilled, kneeling on the floor not trusting her limp legs. Anyone who might have known her could see the slight astonishment, and confusion, fleeting across her face, but as there was not a soul who did, she only appeared impassive, and perhaps a little dangerous even as she knelt.

"What are you?" She repeated. A slight smirk tugged at the corners of the woman's mouth, "I should ask the same for you. What sort of being does...that?" She gestured to the distance between them, "Not human, but why do you take the form of one?"

The woman's words never reached the creatures ears, she gazed wildly from the point of her gun to wild hair, she had seen this women before, but how...suddenly the women was shoved against the wall once again, her gun flung to the floor, and an arm pressed harshly against her throat. Golden eyes burned dangerously close, "how..." the whisper of the word barely passed the creatures lips, but her astonishment was plain for the women to see.

Neither spoke, only assessed each other in wordless silence. Finally, the creature stepped back, flinging her arm away from the women, her face contorted, perhaps in disgust. Why, out of the rest of the universe, could she be the only one to see through the veil?

The woman rubbed her throat, and to the creatures annoyance, she laughed lightly. "Aggressive little thing aren't you. Remind me to never get on your bad side."

"Two centuries and this is how it ends," she backs away from the women, her exasperation evident in her rigid stance. The women cocks her head, "and cranky, tell me, is this the sort of attitude normal for your age?" The creature cuts her eyes at the woman, any feeling of longing for a companion had long gone cold. "Get out." She muttered. The amusement in the woman's eyes extinguished. "I saved your life. You can stop the aggressive attitude. If I wanted you dead, I would have done it while you were unconscious."

"And why didn't you?"

"I saw what you did, you saved him, and Clara."

"And if I hadn't would you have killed me?"

"Maybe."

That seemed to amuse the creature, but again her eyes narrowed.

"I've seen you before." The creature states bluntly.

"Have you? I don't remember meeting you. Have I ever tried to kill you?"

"Your her," a wave of exhaustion envelopes her, but her dignity demanded her to remain standing.

"Her?" the woman tilted her head at a curious angle.

"You married the Doctor," she mutters stiffly.

"Ah, yes, I am her then," the woman smirks, "and now that we are at formalities, who are you?"

"No one," she mumbled, wishing the women to disappear.

The woman scoff's slightly, "No one? What a strange name. Well, I have nothing to hide, River is my name," her eyes twinkled with an amusement that irked the creature. She stared at River, her powerful gaze almost peering into River's soul seeking out her secrets. They stood in silence for so long, the silence between them became unnerving.

"How can you see me?" the creature finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

For a moment the creature is uncertain, unsure how to explain. "I call this place the Mirror World, although the better term would be hell," she held her arms out, "this place exists within the same universe, but is invisible to the rest of the world. I suppose it is a place between places. For the past two century I have been locked inside this world. I move as I please, I walk among the rest of the world, but I am never seen. One could walk straight through me and they would never know it. So how is it now that over a two damned _centuries_ can you see me? How are you even here?"

"I don't know."

"Do not lie to me, I know when someone lies."

"I do not know," River repeated again, her face solemn. It is an honest answer.

"What about the...those scaly slimy things?" River asked.

"Demons?"

"If thats what you call them."

The creature shrugs, "They are a part of this existence. This place is rather the holding cell to keep them from escaping into different realities. They never belonged anywhere, so became nothing more than ravaging demons."

"You're the protector then? The almighty king of the castle?" River grins amused.

"More or less," the creature did not smile back, though River detected a glean in her eyes.

"Now, how is it you know the Doctor?" River's face became grim. The creature scrutinized her, "what does it matter? I'm his protector, nothing more."

"But you do know him. Why else would you protect him from those demons?"

"Either if I did know him or not, it does not matter. Wherever he goes I must follow, whenever he faces danger I must protect him. I suppose that is the only reason I am here, to protect him."

"I saw what you did," River begins, "I saw you fight, you nearly died."

The creature laughs darkly, "oh, I cannot die, I have tried every possible way. Whenever I did try my body would pull itself back together again, but it's never the exact same body I previously had. There is only a slight difference, but I cannot not seem to stay just dead."

"You've tried to kill yourself?" there is disgust in River's voice, "You said so yourself that your purpose is to protect the Doctor, to keep him alive, but you decide to throw your life away, to leave the Doctor unprotected from what he cannot see?" She scoffs in disgust.

"Do not accuse me of what you don't know," the creature snarls, "there was a time when I had a selfless reason to die. I _needed_ to die." She brushes roughly past River. She feels River's eyes boring into her back.

"I'll see you again," River's voice barely reaches her ears. She turns, her eyes resting on the spot River had stood, to only find she had vanished.

"I doubt it," she mutters and continues on her way.


	8. Jealousy

Once she had longed for companionship, now she cursed herself, and what ever god had granted her wish. She felt as if her world was being invaded. River's occasional appearances, and her constant reminiscence of her lovely events with her beloved Doctor – for what else is a ghost to do other than remember their loved ones? - nearly made her snap and blast River back to where ever she came from. She was a reminder of what the Creature should have had; River's stories made her burn with a jealousy for a real life; a normal life, not this bleak fakery. Yet, even though, she wouldn't likely ever call River a friend, she was no enemy either. For when the waves of demons thrashed down with their glinting claws, she would find River at her back, keeping the slashing demons at bay.

"Why do you do this?" she asked River once as they regained their breath from a particular skirmish with a troublesome horde, "why are you helping me?"

River glanced over at her, squinting her eyes in assessment. "You prefer fighting alone?" The question annoyed the Creature; she stood straight with her hands clasped on her hips. "I've fought more battles than you have in a lifetime, and alone. I want to know why you keep coming back. You don't have to be here."

River shrugged, "maybe thats why I come back, because you've been alone too long."

The creature stares at her unblinking. "Touching, but I am not the reason for these visits. What do you want?"

There was always a secret hiding behind River's smile, something that made one think she knew more, that she was always one step ahead, and it unnerved her. River sighed, and gazed out at the setting sun. "Maybe I want nothing. But we all have our agendas do we not." Her gaze settled back on the Creature's, her lips twisting up into that secret grin. The Creature hated being antagonized, she hated being indebted, especially to one such as River. And as ungrateful as it was, she wished River would leave her alone. Maybe she did like the solitude more than she believed she did, or maybe her old jealousies were eating away her conscience.

There was a small thread of trust woven thinly between them. Yet, even when River would engage her in conversation, it never seemed to be quite friendly. It was as if River was a predator circling her pray,waiting to see what kind of being she really was. To find out hidden truths, and find a reason to trust this Creature that protected her Doctor with such persistency. In the end, it was River who did most of the talking. She would be reminiscent about her time's with the Doctor or spoke none at all. But when the silence grew between them, it became domineering and more horrible than when the creature was alone in her world.

"How did you first come into being here?" River asked one day as they strolled through a crowded village. Venders called out in foreign tongues, but the Doctor, of course, knew the language and translated for Clara, but only when he wasn't distracted by some oddity.

The Creature almost didn't answer River's question, she wasn't in the mood for more interrogation. However, her question struck a small memory hidden in the dark vault of her mind. It was hazy, a cloudy mist hovering over the images so she could not comprehend the importance of the memory. But she knew it held a heavy awakening. She dared not go near it as it would force her to relive the memory she tried so hard to forget.

"I don't know," was her terse reply.

"You were not born here then?" River asked skeptically.

The Creature cut her eyes at the curly haired women. "Most certainly not," she muttered.

"Then where do you come from?" River continued to question. She either was ignoring the Creature's exasperated appearance, or she was being purposely ignorant.

"Not from here," the Creature replied.

River huffed, "you are a thing of few words. Why the secrecy? Or do you not know that either?"

In truth the Creature knew very well of her life before, but those memories belonged to her, and she refused to indulge River. Instead of answering the Creature replied, "the less you know of me, the better we will both be."

River scoffed. "Rather dramatic. What kind of awful thing are you hiding from?"

The Creature paused for a moment, then shrugged.

"A wolf," was all she uttered before walking away.


	9. Yellow Roses

A week passed, and River was no where to be seen. Whether or not the Creature found this enticing she couldn't decide. In fact the quietness around her echoed a lonely call that made her shiver.

 _You are never truly alone,_ the voice whispers. She snarls her reply, forcing the beast to snap its jowls shut.

Clara was gone as well. Dropped off at home to finish her teaching. They were both alone, and she could feel his loneliness. At one time she would have reached out and held his hand, to give him some solace while he was lost in the vast realm of his mind. But it was no longer her place to fulfill. That job had gone to Clara, and before her Amy, Donna, and so forth. There was always someone for him, some brilliant, fantastic, mind would take the vacant spot and fill his world again. And with that she found her own solace, but now with Clara gone for a time, she found herself irked at the Doctors restlessness.

Over the centuries there had grown a fear in him, one that stemmed from his past companions abruptly leaving, or dying. With Clara gone, she saw how the girls absence made him more frantic than his usual madness. There was a what if floating about his mind. What if Clara decided to never come back, what if something happened, what if...

The Creature would shake her head at his useless ramblings. He would never understand that with one taste of the splendor of the world he offered, going back to a mundane existence would be the equivalent of a death sentence. To once again live a normal life will only have the light that once shone in the world you once lived in, to be sucked away, leaving an empty and pitiful void. Traveling with him is intoxicating, for the increasing need to see more becomes like a parched throat begging for a drink but is never satisfied. A sudden wish to live forever, to only stand by his side for eternity, to always be the one to hold his hand. For all his knowledge, he doesn't understand, will never understand, the pull in which he drags his companions into his magical box. How irresistible the color blue suddenly becomes; how the ears are always straining to hear that horrible, yet wonderful sound the TARDIS makes. No, he will never understand the damage he does, but maybe that is how it should be.

As she watched him continue his mindless ramblings, she wanted to smack him for his needless worry; sometimes he can be ever so ignorant.

"Of course she'll be back," she huffed, "stop talk'n to yourself and lets do something, go somewhere. I'm bored." None of the demons had been active of late.

His constant rambles, she knows, is only a tactic to keep his mind off the absence of Clara, off of the vast lonely space around him. He twitches a lever, pushes a button, racks a hand through his hair, fixes his bow tie.

"Stop your fuss'n. Lets have some fun," she nudged her elbow against his arm, "come on, like the old day's, just you an' me." He passed straight through her, and tapped a fingertip on the metal counsel.

She scrunched her face exasperatedly. "Really? You just want to mope about?" A shadow passed over his face; lost inside his mind. She looked down, knowing how useless it was. She turned and leaned back against the counsel, her arms crossed as if guarding against an unknown threat. "You should never be left alone," she murmured, "none of us should. No one is meant to ever be alone. But she's coming back you idiot. We always do. We can't help it, we are always dragged back here and its always the death of us someway or another." She laughed unhumorously, shaking her head, "I should know."

She watched him for a minute or two, waiting for something to occur, but instead he rested his hands on the counsel, staring down at the numerous buttons; he always liked buttons, big red buttons are so much easier, he would say.

"So thats it then? We just gonna stand about until dear old Clara comes back again?" She grunted her frustration, rocking back and forth on her feet. "You make me almost wish River was here." She left him alone in the room, walking back toward kitchen. She cant eat anything, doesn't ever need to, but she liked the smell of tea that always seemed to be floating about the room. It reminded her of her mother. She walked toward the table in the middle of the room, yellow roses were planted daintily in the middle; Clara's doing. She treads through the vast space- nothing in the TARDIS is ever small-while purposely ignoring the women sitting at the table, cooly drinking a steaming mug of tea.

"You haven't told me your name yet," Rivers voice intrudes any thought of excluding pleasantries. The Creature lets out a long sigh before pulling out a chair to join her. "Whats in a name?" she mused rather than questioned.

"Names are powerful," River effused softly, "why else would the Doctor hide his name." The Creature raised an eyebrow, indignant at River's attempt of a lecture.

"Indeed, all the more reason to conceal it," she sarcastically jeered. River put down her cup, "From who my dear? From your own words no one knows of your existence. With no threat, why is there a need to hide from anyone." River's reminder of her prisoned state irked her further.

"What does it matter to you?" The Creature leans back in her chair, pulling her long hair back behind her ear. River shrugged, her lips fetched up into that characteristic smirk.

"Nothing beyond my own curiosity," she quipped before scrunching her face in thought, "also perhaps putting a name to a face is more fitting rather than making up names."

Amused, the Creature leaned her forearms on the table, "what kind of names?"

River laughed, "some rather unflattering I'm afraid, but you do live up to them." She raised her mug up as if toasting to the Creature before downing the remains of the liquid.

"Go on then," River continued, "is it a hideous name?"

The Creature paused, her eyes narrowed,"I've forgotten it," she profoundly stated. She was lying, but River didn't seem to know, for the bright quirk in her eyes vanished and was replaced with a solemn stare.

"To have forgotten your name means you have forgotten yourself." Her voice had grown quiet; the whispered words were a heavy condemned verdict. Solemness didn't seem to fit well on her face, it made the Creature squirm inwardly, annoyed.

"I am who I am," she briskly stated, "who I used to be is nothing to what I am now. My name now has little relevance."

Intrigued, River raised an eyebrow, "who were you before?"

The Creature leaned back in her chair, letting out a tired sigh. "Why the sudden interest?"

River smirked, "why evade my question with a question?"

The Creature leaned back into her chair shaking her head, an exasperated smile twisting her lips.

"I don't understand your need to know me," her eyes narrowed as she assessed River, "what are you after?"

"It's a simple question, why are you so persistent to avoid it?" River pressed.

"You want to know who I was? You call that a simple question? More like an interrogation," the Creature snapped.

"Do you even remember who you were?" River continued to ask.

"What's it to you?" She hissed.

"Course you remember," River whispered, "I heard you talking. Heard you refer yourself as one and the same as Clara. Where you a past companion?"

A fire grew somewhere deep in the Creature's veins. Her eyes sparked, the yellow in them turning to molten gold.

"And if I was?" She growled dangerously, her lips pressed back to reveal her teeth.

"Well it would explain your obsession with him."

"My obsession?" The Creature spat the word like it was foul in her mouth.

"Its in your eyes. You hide it well, and it took me long enough to figure it out, but he meant something to you...back then."

The Creature pressed a hand underneath her chin, her face a blank canvas so as to keep River from making more deductions. "You assume too much." She said after a moment of silence.

"But I'm not wrong. I think you even loved him once, or still do."

A sardonic smile twisted the Creatures lips, "even if I did, much good it would do me now, or ever for that matter."

River pressed her lips together, "what were you to him?" she asked slowly.

"Afraid I could have meant something to him?" The Creature taunted.

River laughed, "if you did, whatever you were supposedly, is long since forgotten."

Any trace of a smile snapped off the Creatures face, "whereas you will always be remembered?"

The fire in her words burned through the air, and River acknowledged the frantic anger radiating in the Creatures gold eyes, she had struck a hidden emotion the Creature had fought to conceal.

"You think he cares to remember what pains him most?" the Creature seethes, "You are no different from the likes of his companions, as soon as you're gone, he will wipe you from his memory, and be forgotten just like the rest."

"How little you know him. He never forgets, he always remembers what is important to him." River stated pointedly.

"Important..." she trails off, eyes fixed on a distant memory, "so you assume I was dismissed for lack of importance. Do you honestly believe you are so different from his companions that you are the most important?"

"No one who travels with him is unimportant; however there are certain degrees of importance. I have never been his companion. Believe it or not, like it or not, I am different. I am his wife." River's calm voice scraped past her ears, she ground her teeth.

"His wife," the Creature scoffed, "and have you forgotten that I have seen everything? I've witnessed it all, to you killing him, to your so called _marriage_. You never truly married him, it never happened. The year was erased don't you recall? And further, you didn't even marry the real man, just the shell of what looked like him. You can pretend all you wish Miss Song, at least you can find solace in a fantasy." Her words were cruel, but she regretted not a word. Their eyes remained locked on each other, daring the other to look away.

"You can't let it go can you?" River's voice seemed to echo in the small room. "He has forgotten you and you can't let it go."

"Again you assume there is something to forget," the Creature snarled, "but he does forget, or at least tries to. I've seen companions come and go, as soon as one falls another arrives, and so the cycle continues. Another face, another companion to keep him company, they are all the same. Important as they are, they all serve the same purpose. You are just like them. And when the pain becomes too much you will be gone from his mind."

River remains silent, her eyes steadily tracking the Creature's movements. The Creature sighed, "if you go as so far as to put the entire universe into jeopardy for the sake of his life, don't you think that by forgetting the painful memories, and the people in those memories, will save his sanity?"

"Whats left of it," River added, her eyes downcast, but a slight lift of her mouth teased a grin. River waited a moment before asking, "what should I call you then?"

The Creature shrugged. "What ever you wish." She glanced down at the yellow roses, and for whatever reason changed her mind.

"Wait..."

But, when she looks up, River is gone.


	10. Tick Tock

She should have known better. The beast was restless of late, prowling along its cage, waiting. It wasn't like she could have helped it, her mind and body was on the brink of collapse after a long and fitful day of demon play. They had generated with such force, she could comprehend nothing but claws and teeth, blood and bone. River never came, and she cursed herself for losing her temper at the women. Maybe if she has kept her mouth shut River might have come, and though she loathed to admit such a venerable state, she was scared, and wished River had come to her aid. So tired she was, that after the battle, she forced herself to crawl back into the library of the TARDIS, and plummeted down onto the floor.

She felt the beast stir, and with slow rising panic realized what it was doing. She cursed herself for letting down her guard as her conscious was pushed back, until it was she who was locked behind the bares.

 _Never forget,_ it hissed, _who I am. I am your protector, you only ever need me. Wish all you like, but you can never be rid of me. Wish again for another, I dare you._

With the last words a door to her mind opened. She let out a strangled cry as the swirling blackness filled her scenes as an old memory took away her conscious.

* * *

Even as a child the one thing the Creature detested more than a fleet of Daleks, were haunted houses. Truly, she would rather face an army of demons rather than stepping into a place known to be haunted. So when the Doctor proclaimed they were going to visit 1974, to see a professor who was a war veteran, and a ghost hunter, the Doctor had proclaimed this with such glee the Creature couldn't help roll her eyes. But it wasn't until he mentioned the Caliburn House, a mansion that was famously known for its haunting ghost, did she squeak out a protest, "no!" the same time Clara let out an excited "yes!"

"You cannot be serious!" The Creature groaned. The Doctor danced around the counsel, tapping away at buttons, "the ghost is known as the Witch of the Well," he said rather too jolly for the Creature's liking, "I've always wanted to go on a ghost hunt. Gives you a chill right down the back bone doesn't it," he laughed excitedly. The Creature threw her hands in the air, "how can you be so exhilarated by this!"

She fought demons, yet she coward at the thought of stepping into the haunted place.

 _How pathetic!_ The voice hissed.

"Keep your damn mouth shut," she snarled.

 _How dare you act so childish. You fight the monsters of this world and you have the audacity to grovel at such a monstrosity. The idea of ghosts are beneath you, and you shy away like a coward._

"I'm not a coward," she mentally kicked herself for the quaver in her voice.

The voice laughed, _you are more of a ghost than that thing they are chasing._

At that moment the TARIDS had landed and Clara was first to reach the door.

 _Have no fear,_ it crooned, _I shall be here to protect you._

"I protect myself, be on your own guard," she warned before following the Doctor out the door. The mansion was beautiful, in a haunting way. And if it could have been any more cliché, thunder cracked across the darkened sky.

"Of course there just _had_ to be a storm coming," she watched as the Doctor scampered up do the porch, nocking on the large wooden doors, "an on coming storm, wouldn't ya say Doc?"

The door opened hesitantly, revealing a handsome man who glanced unknowingly at the odd pair before him.

"We are the ghostbusters," Clara introduced themselves. The Creature rolled her eyes. Without being invented in the Doctor squeezed his way in passed the man, looking about the vast room like an excited child.

"Alec Palmer," the Doctor exclaimed excitedly shaking the man's hand, "its so wonderful to finally meet you." The Doctor continued to ramble on about his little investigation on Palmers life, probably revealing too much information, for which made Alec look at the Doctor questionably.

There was another presence standing in the room behind Alec, standing back a little nervously while observing the sudden intrusion. Her name was Emma, and was the first object that caught the Creature's attention. She was a different sort of girl, pretty, but appeared to be holding a great burden. She was intriguing. Palmer, who excused the Doctors presence as military intelligence to an unsettled Emma, explained the events of the ghost, how even though the house was only a few decades old, the ghost had existed long before the house was built. The pictures Palmer showed, revealed a white ghost, mouth gaping open, arm out stretched.

"Its in the exact same position," Clara pointed out, "the ghost never changes."

The pictures unsettled the Creature. She didn't care much about this 'hunt' so long as the demons were behaving, she could lean back and watch the events unfold. And she would have done so if Emma hadn't caught her attention. The women stood next to Palmer, but she kept glancing around, as if looking for some unknown presence. She heard her describe herself as an empathic psychic, someone who can since feelings in other entities; somewhat telepathic. The revelation of this information made the Creature blinked owlishly. Uncertainty threaded with excitement, the Creature crouched next to where Emma sat as she talked with Clara.

"How much can you hear? Can you since me?" The Creature barely whispered while the monster recoiled in anger.

 _Hear you? What can she do for you? Relay a message to your precious Doctor? Do tell me what you plan to tell him._

The Creature drew back slightly from Emma, and in truth she was not sure what she wished even if Emma could, by some miracle, hear her. However, if the Creature hadn't been distracted by her own thoughts, she would have caught Emma's sudden intake of breath and her eyes dart to the empty space around her.

 _What do you wish her to do? What can she do that I cannot?_ The monster jeered.

"Even if she were to hear me, there is nothing she can do, but she can offer more than you ever could." The Creature retorted. The monster was silent for a moment.

 _And what may that be?_ It challenged.

"She wouldn't be asking for a blood sacrifice, nor draw more danger than you already bring." The Creature got up from her position by Emma, and strided toward the center of the room.

 _You would be lost without me, you would be dead if I hadn't saved you_.

"Saved me?" She halted her step, anger reddening her skin, "I never asked to be saved, and you didn't save me, rather I saved you. You need my body, so you use me as a host to keep you alive."

 _And in return I saved you from the fate of hell, and fulfilled the desire to travel with him for all eternity. Am I not kind?_

"And in return you've taken my soul, my freedom. Yes you are so very kind," she sneered.

It gripped the bars, its impatiences radiating a sense of danger.

 _Be careful what you say, my love. Do not forget who I am, do not think you can simply...replace me._

The Creature wisely held back her biting words, and instead glanced back at Emma who still sat talking to Clara. Her thoughts traveled in circles, living out scenarios she had often wished were reality. What if Emma could be the passage between her world and his? What if she found a way to grab hold of Emma's attention? What if she could send him a message? Wish after wish, but that was all they were, fake realities, unrealistic wishes. She truly believed that if such a chance were ever given to her, she was not sure she would take it. What a coward she was. She could not face him now, being as she was. She was not the girl he had known, had even loved once. That girl, that child, was gone, more accurately, dead. Despite her thoughts, she continued to glance at the young women longingly.

She felt the beast quiver in its cage.

"Jealous?" She taunted with a slight laugh.

 _How little you perceive,_ it whispered ominously. She merely shook her head in disgust.

 _Do not turn from me you pathetic thing. You belong to me._

She clenched her fists, wishing for a demon to tear apart.

"I belong to no one!" She snarled in a desperate rage.

 _You pretend too much._

She felt the cage begin to crack, and, in a sudden panic, she desperately tried to through the bares back into place. She gasped in exertion, the bars rattled and bent, the beast pushing unrelentingly.

"You will not hurt them!" She panted.

 _Is that what you think?_ Its slithering voice dripped with poison, _they are nothing to me. They hold no means of anything worth my attention. Come let me out, let me show you what I can do. For you._

Her heart raced, gasped for air as she desperately kept the beast from leashing out. She closed her eyes, widely attempting to ignore its tempting voice. Once too many times it had taken over her, and anguishing regret had soon followed. But every time, somehow despite the horrendous actions and despair it had caused, her head was filled with its luring voice.

It looked back at her, its eyes had gone soft, it knew of her struggles, the nightmares, the blood. It knew how she secretly wished she could be held, and be taken away from the cold and darkness. It knew her, it offered comfort, safety. _Let go,_ it whispered, _let me take care of you._

She opened her mouth to reply, her chest heaving, bitter tears formed in her eyes. The blackness began to take control. _Let go_ , echoed its whisper. She wanted to, she wanted to let it have its way, do what it wanted, it had her under its spell.

"You bastard!" She shrieked. She fought the pending darkness, shoving back the hideous beast back into its cage. It reeled back in surprise before lunging out and striking another attack.

"Parasite!" She seethed.

 _Fight as hard as you like, as long as you like, but I will have my way. You are mine._

She shoved harder.

 _You only ever need me. One day you will realize it. Emma can't do nothing for you, I can do whatever you wish. Unlike her, I can even bring you to him._

"Damn you," she chocked; she was growing tired, "Emma," she muttered.

The beast paused for a moment.

 _What?_ It growled a warning.

"Emma," she uttered a little louder.

 _She won't hear you._

"Emma," she managed a call.

 _Why must you learn the hard way?_

"Help me!" She screamed.

There were four people standing alongside each other in the vast room of the mansion. Each unaware of the struggling woman kneeling, gripping her head, as she screamed. The desperation, and anger, rose like a wave hurtling toward the shore, and hit the barrier dividing her world.

Emma suddenly rocked on her feet, "she knows I'm here," she murmured as if in a trance, "I can feel her, calling out to me."

"Whats she saying?" Clara asked, eyes wide.

"Help me," Emma murmured.

Time froze around the Creature, and she heavily lifted her head to stare wide eyed at the small form of Emma. The Creature gasped, sucking in what air she could, feeling the compulsion to reach out and grasp Emma's hand. Desperate to hold on to the moment. The beast said nothing, but its viscous attacks had ceased. She dared not provoke it further so she too kept silent, but could not stop her heart from overflowing. She stood shakily, a real smile etched gracefully on her lips. The beast sneered.

For the first time in centuries there was a chance, a hope, someone could see passed the veil; maybe she no longer had to live alone.

 _Be careful of your emotions, one may never know what they may lead to,_ the slithering whisper of its voice curdled her blood. She shook slightly from containing her excitement, her thoughts whirling.

Freedom...free...

One word that was constant in her thoughts. A chance that was barely allowing light through the cracked door, but was still wide enough for her to peek through and reach out with both hands to wrench the door free.

Black stars flew before her eyes. A heavy pounding rolled through her head, an anger that was not her own, consumed her very essence, and the air in her lungs stifled at the raging heat.

 _I warned you,_ the voice thundered, _how many times must I teach you?_

"Do you truly believe," she rasped through clenched teeth, "I would allow you to consume me? If freedom from you, from this place, is ever laid into my hands, I will always take it. Or will die trying."

The voice chuckled.

 _Death is not an option for you darling._

She ground her teeth. She heard it sigh exasperatedly, _I can give you freedom. Stop resisting me, you will come to me in the end. After all, we have eternity. Time is all it will take._

She rubbed her eyes, feeling the need to curl onto the floor and sleep for a year.

"Then wait for eternity. I belong no one but myself. I am no one's slave."

It laughed, seeming to enjoy her weary attempt at resistance.

She choose to ignore its provoking jeers, willing to keep her thoughts from wondering lest the beast hear them.

The house groaned and creaked, making her skin crawl, and eyes dart about to the corners of the room; watching to see if the shadows would transform into a demon. She hated this, and wished the Doctor would hurry up, save the day, and get back to the TARDIS already. The shadows were moving, or so she believed, but she couldn't stop the feeling of eyes watching her.

She became transfixed on the far corner of the room, the shadows flighting and dancing in the light of the fire that roared in the great stone fireplace. An invisible hand brought its icy fingers to her face, stroking her cheek, trancing her to step toward into its dark embrace. She let in a deep breath, the air was sweet, her head no longer filled with fear, anger, or regret. She felt free. She wanted to dance and sing for joy. She was happy, and a smile was introduced to her lips. She stepped toward the beckoning corner, and the sound of one humming filled her head.

It was an old song, one a children would sing before bed, yet, something was wrong. It was not a delightful song, it held a sinister note, one that held a secret warning; a message. The notes floated in the air only to be snapped away, locked inside a trap. The humming was coming from behind her. Her eyes widened, jolting herself back into reality, and dragged her eyes away from the shadows. She saw Emma, sitting in a large green chair, the notes purring from her lips. The girl did not seem to be aware of her singing, her eyes were misted over. Clara was darting a worried glance at the Doctor who stood a in front of Emma, waving a hand in front of her eyes trying to bring her back from whatever depths she had fallen into.

The Creature's body became stiff, the warm glow suddenly gone cold. Emma began to sing.

 _Tick tock goes the clock, and what then shall we play?_

 _Tick tock goes the clock and Rose shall fade away._

 _Tick Tock goes the clock, and it will come to take her._

 _Tick tock goes the clock, and soon your time will come._

The fire was no longer warm, the room seemed to be closing in, the light began to diminish, and all she could comprehend was the realization of how close she had come to be embraced by the wolf.

 _Do never underestimate me again,_ its voice sickly sweet.

"Never," she murmured, her eyes never leaving Emma's. She paid little attention to the happenings around the room. Clara had taken Emma's hand, calling the girls name, the Doctor stood still, his mind whirling with confusion. He muttered to himself, stepping away from the group, his eyes drifting passed the women who stood transfixed beside him. The Creature soon turned away from the group, leaving the gloomy house to sit inside the TARDIS. She plopped down, leaning back against the counsel. She was weak, oh so very weak, and her days were numbered.

* * *

She came out of the memory like one emerging from murky water. The walls of her head thudded to the beat of her heart. She groaned and reached blindly for something to pull herself up from the floor. The room was dark, and for that she was thankful. She felt the arm of the couch, and heavily pulled herself on top of the cushions. The memory replayed listlessly through her head, recalling the song that even now echoed in the far off distance in her mind. She shuddered.

 _Fade away..._

The memory was a warning. She was possessed by a demon who wanted to enslave her mind and soul, and no other could offer a chance to give her the freedom she craved. It would not let her forget how drawn she was to the darkness, and how close she was coming to be consumed by it.

* * *

Thank you all so much for the reviews of this story. It means a lot to me. I am currently trying to get into nursing school so the story will be a little prolonged. I appreciate your kind words and I'll update soon.


	11. It's Here

It was not long before Clara, decided the TARIDS was haunted. There were moments when she stood alone in the console room – or at least she believed she was alone- when she felt an invisible presence looking down at her. She would feel a brush against her arm, a sudden breeze against her face that is created when one quickly walks by. The presence was dominating which made her look over her shoulder more often than she could count. Ghosts was never something Clara quite believed in, but now with quivering chills scrambling up and down her spine, she began to believe in something else altogether.

"Do you believe there are ghosts, Doctor?" Clara asked as casually as she could manage without slipping the fear she felt into her words.

"Eh?"

"Ghosts...real ghosts. Not some alien that looks like one, or something that pretends to being one... a real haunting spooky ghost?"

The Doctor looked up from under the console and gave her a calculating look. "Don't know," he admitted finally, "Never seen one, so I guess no," he scratched his head in thought as if the question was more complex than Clara had intended.

"Really? Huh," Clara shrugged and leaned against the railing, "have you ever thought that...by chance...the TARDIS would be...could be...er...well..."

"Well what?"

"...haunted?" she bit out in hast. The Doctor guffawed at her, "Well if there are ghosts, I don't really know why they would want to 'haunt' a TARDIS." He shook his head still laughing coming up to stand beside her, but he suddenly stopped, noticing Clara's silence.

"Why? Is the old girl giving you a hard time?" he gestured toward the counsel, patting the metal surface lightly.

"No, no," Clara bit her lip in distraction, "its just for the past few days, I've noticed something has not been quite right. Like there is someone else standing in this room with us, but neither of us can see...it. I feel like I'm being watched all the time, sometimes I even feel a hand on my shoulder or someone passing by me. Have you not felt it? There is something here...something big, but it's like hiding behind a curtain of some kind."

"Very interesting," the Doctor murmured after some time. He glanced consciously around the console room. "Come out wherever you are!" he grinned excitedly.

"So you believe someone could be hiding here?" Clara asked uncertain she should be relieved.

"Wouldn't be the first time," he replied offhandedly. There was silence between them, the only sound was of the TARDIS humming hauntingly, and neither noticed the figure standing stolidly in the shadow.

"Doctor," Clara whispered, "I keep seeing this figure, well I can't see it exactly, but when I think I see someone standing just behind me, it disappears before I even know for certain it was there. Maybe I"m just imagining it...but that feeling is always there."

Slowly, he pulls the glowing screwdriver from his coat and swipes it through the air.

"There is no readings," he whispers in reply, but feels a a presence standing behind him.

"You feel it don't you?" Clara murmurs excitedly grasping his hand.

"Is it that feeling, Clara, that someone, or rather some _thing_ , is standing right behind you, but you know for certain nothing could possibly be there because there _is_ nothing there, but you feel it all the same?"

"At the moment, very much yes," Clara mutters softly. The room had become suddenly darker, as if reflecting the fear that pulsed through Clara's veins. She felt the something breathing down her neck and felt her heart leap in anticipation. They both had their backs turned from the opening door of the TARDIS, and felt the presence behind them grow stronger with every breath they took.

"When I count to three," his voice barely reached her ears, "we both turn around." She nodded her head in acknowledgment.

"Ok," she swallowed.

"One."

He grasped her hand.

"Two."

She held her breath.

" _Three!"_

They both whirled around facing the ominous monster, both ready to take on what ever threatened them. Neither was sure what they expected to see, but the vast empty space at their backs was not one of them. They both stood in silence unsure what to say to the other. After a long expectant pause, Clara let out a loud snort, then clenched her sides with her fists as she doubled over in peels of laughter.

"If you could have seen your face!" she rasped between gulps of air.

"Mine?" the Doctor sounded aghast, "you should have seen yours! One would think you expected the whole Judoon army to explode through the walls!"

They stood and laughed with each other, the mood lifting and the moment of fear forgotten until the lights of the TARIDS went out with a faint click as if someone had pulled the switch. The only light was the glowing blue of the Time Energy. Their laughter cut short and stuck in their throat.

"Who's there?" the Doctor called.

"Doctor..." Clara whispers urgently tugging violently at his sleeve.

"Come out and show yourself!" He calls out ignoring Clara.

"Doctor I don't..."

"You can't hide forever, you'll have to come out sometime..."

"Doctor!" Clara shouts, there is fear in her voice.

"What?" He can barely see her, but her face glows slightly in the blue light, odd shadows stretched across the pretty face. Her eyes held his without blinking her voice barely reaching his ears.

"Its here." Clara's desperate whisper seemed to echo off the walls.

The certainty in her voice made him glance widely about the room, now assured of the unwelcome presence. There is a sound deep within the TARDIS that howls and rattles the structure of the old machine. The Doctor and Clara clasp their ears as the sound grows louder and louder until they fall on their knees. The floor beneath them trembles and both fear the metal structure would collapse beneath them. Then, with a gasp of Clara's breath, the sound vanishes and the silence that follows is more than terrible. The lights flicked about them then burst into full flame.

Slowly, both raise their heads and glanced about them, reassuring themselves that they were alone. They stood clumsily to their feet, hands reaching for each other as they pulled themselves up.

"Wh-what was that?" Clara gasped breathlessly.

Without a word the Doctor leapt into action as if he had never been huddled on the floor. He ran around the counsel in small leaps and jumps, pulling leavers and pushing glowing buttons. So consumed with his work he nearly missed the startled gasp. He was about to ask what the matter was without looking to inspect his disturbed companion, when her demanding voice, "Doctor look!" jolts him to glance up at her.

Clara had her back turned from him so she could not see the blanched, startled look that bled across his face. For there sketched in immense, black, bold words that dripped black stains eerily to the floor, made his head spin and breath shallow.

"Bad Wolf." Clara's voice echos in the TARDIS and for a long time there was not a words between them.


	12. My Slave

She sat along the TARDIS railing, legs dangled over the raised platform, and gazed up at the bold words plastered to the wall. She had stopped thinking, didn't want to. But the echoes of the song resounded like a distant whisper.

 _It shall come to take her..._

She closed her eyes, and floated in the dark space behind her eyelids.

"Wasn't that a bit much?" River's casual voice shook her. The Creature slipped a peek up at River who stood above her, but River was not looking at her, instead the woman was watching the frantic commotion behind her.

The Doctor was in a trance, muttering in frantic words, completely ignoring his confused and worried companion as he swiped his screwdriver through the air, passing a hand over his eyes in an agitated manner.

"What does it mean!" he would say over and over again, mindlessly fiddling with the millions of digits on the counsel. He would stare at Clara, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to say words that could never escape his mouth. "It can not happen...not again..." he would say instead, then go off in mad spurts of running about the counsel.

Both River and the Creature watched from their perch on the railings.

"It was'na me," the Creature turned away from the scene, and slipped back behind her closed eyes.

"Then what was with all the dramatics then?"

The Creature shrugged in response. She rubbed her temple trying to sooth the pounding that bled through her head.

"You never seemed to me like the one for theatrics," River went on despite the obvious chagrin of her companion. "Bad Wolf? Have never heard of that term...oh it was a child's story wasn't it? The Big Bad Wolf...Little Red Ridding Hood...what does it mean?"

The Creature shrugged again.

River's impatiens snapped thin. "You were the only one here, how else did this all happen?"

With a snarl the Creature stood in one fluid movement, and leaned uncomfortably close toward River until their noses barely touched.

"I do not know," the Creature's voice was tight as a cord ready to snap.

"But then how in god's name..."

"Shut. Up. Now." her voice promised an ominous threat.

The two stared at each other, neither daring to look away. The gold in the Creature's eyes flared, and River dared not say another word.

The occurrence of their last meeting flitted across the Creature's mind, and she felt a twinge of guilt, but her pride obstructed any remorse so she, instead, turned back to leaning against the railing.

"Please," River took a tentative step toward the woman, "answer me one question damn it. Would you tell me if he was in danger."

The Creature bit her lip. Truth was they were all in danger. She slid her eyes to glance at River, then pushed away her pride for a moment, "yes I would." It was a half truth, but she owed River, and that weight never left her. As of now the Doctor was in no danger from her, or the demons, so she felt content with her half truth.

River glanced back up at the black letters, her mind whirling with curiosity.

There was something in the TARDIS, something mysterious, powerful, dangerous, and neither the Doctor, his companion, nor his long dead wife knew that it stood before them in the form a women. The woman knew it was there. Something so horrible, and so powerful it could rip apart the world if it wished, and she contained it within the depths of her body. The Creature wondered how long she could keep it from escaping. She was growing weak, the beast was all to gleeful to the knowledge. One day it would burst forth, and she would never be able to regain herself again.

 _Soon your time will come..._

Voices, so many voices...

She had watched the Doctors expression when he saw the words and she could not keep away the sudden thrill when his eyes lit of with recognition. She almost reached to touch him, to reassure him, but with the words leering down, she knew the words was not for him, and had retracted her hand. The words had once been a sign of warning. A warning for the Doctor. But as she stared unblinkingly at the words, she felt the cold truth that the warning was not meant for the Doctor, but for her.

 _I am coming. You will be my slave._

She heard the whisper, and felt the cold touch of death.


	13. I create myself

What was she to do, what could she do? Nothing was the answer. She was as much a prisoner to her own mind as she was trapped inside the invisible walls. One day the beast would snap, and she would be helpless to stop it. How to end it...how to stop it...her mind whirled, it was an impossible equation she could never answer. She could feel the monster smile with glee, and she ground her teeth, a hopeless rage choking her.

 _You do realize this is all your doing?_ The monster suggested casually. She did realize it, and whether it was her fault or not, the shame still wrapped unrelenting claws around her throat.

 _I create myself._

Fool of a girl, she thought. Power of a god inside her head, she had seen everything, death, and life; she had held the world in her small hands. She had seen her own death.

 _I bring life._

And she did. Eternal life. She created herself into a being she wished she could be, for him. The day she met him, when he filled her head with the wonder of stars, she never wished to leave him, now she never would. The Doctor was right, the power was never meant for a soul to harness, least of all a human. She had gazed into it, and a beast had stared back.

 _There is something about the wolf about you._

And there it was inside her head. The Doctor had tried to save her, but the wolf had already made a home inside her. The Doctor would have to take her soul to extract the beast. He should have killed her.

She wondered why he didn't. Could he not see all that was, all that ever could be? Did he not see what she might become? He had left her standing on a beach in another realm. Perhaps that is why he left as he did, and locked her away in another world to keep the beast away. Still she wondered what had evoked the beast coming forth in the first place.

It had lain dormant for many years, all that time, and it never made an appearance. A memory wavered hazily in her minds eye, but like an echo she could feel the abhorrence and terror, and with wet eyes she hid it away, locked it deep, and threw away the key.

She stood alone in the room, unsure what she was waiting for. The black letters still hung eerily against the wall. No effort had been made to wipe the wall clean. She crossed her arms, hugging herself in a desperate effort to ease the rigid strain. Her eyes drifted from the counsel to the doorway that led deeper into the TARDIS. No thought propelled her, she was a void canvas of all thought, or emotion, so when she appeared at his doorway she walked straight over the threshold. There wasn't much in the room, just a chair, a bed, and a bedside table with odd objects scattered about the wooden surface, with a window which overlooked the vast expanse of stars.

He sat on the edge of his bed, his back toward her. She didn't have to face him to know his brow was scrunched together, deep in thought. She walked around the bed then slowly lowered herself into the chair.

"I'm sorry," she whispered gruffly. She could only see half his face, his hands resting underneath his chin, his mind millions of miles away. "That wasn't for you, those letters aren't for you," she continued, her fingers unconsciously traced the thread pattern of the chair arm, "although perhaps it is. It will eventually come after you. It hates us both."

Her eyes became heavy, her teeth snagging her lip. "I don't know how to stop it," her fingers continued their dance on the chair's arm, "I don't know what to do. I'm supposed to save you, but I can't save you from myself," she dug her nails into the chair, "I don't know what to do..."

Her voice trailed off, her nose burned, and an unwelcome wetness filled her eyes. The Doctor let out a troubled sigh, his fingers messaging his temple. He lay back on the bed, his arm covering his eyes. She tilted her head, gazing at his prone form.

"There has to be a way," she stood and treaded softly toward his side. "You always find a way to defeat the darkness."

His arm had fallen from his face, green eyes that reminded her of spring, gazed up at her.

"What would you say if you could see me now? See what I've become." Her eyes searched his, but he had slipped away into a foreign place, the room might as well be vacant. She lifted her gaze, a deep breath filling her lungs. Her sharp teeth again sank into her lip, and without a second thought she rounded the bed and climbed onto the empty spot beside him. She laid on her side, bringing her knees close to her chest, staring at his dark profile.

"Why did you lie to me?" She choked. "You shouldn't have left me, not there, especially not with him." Her fingertips where inches from his shoulder. "He wasn't you, you knew that. Hell, he was barely anything. He didn't last long, died a short while after you left. Why did you do it? You had to of known, why else would you have wiped Donna's memories in the first place. He suffered, it was so painful to watch. It was like I was watching you die, but it wasn't you. I had to keep telling myself that."

It was an old wound, one that had been patched with a multitude of bandages, and it began to slowly give away.

"I hated you. Maybe if you hadn't left, maybe this would never have happened. Maybe if you had tried to save me, kill me, anything, no threat would be hanging over our head. No, you had to shove me back into that false world, and now I'm a ghost with a monster stuck inside my head." The pillow beneath her cheek had become wet; angrily she swept away the tirade of tears from her eyes. "This is all your fault. I'm now a monster because of you. Maybe you thought by leaving me there in that world the problem would be fixed. Much good that did."

With a deep sigh the Doctor turned onto his side, his eyes now gazing back into hers. Her breath hiccupped, "now I'm not sure what's worse. Being stuck in a parallel world, or being stuck here." Her fingertips hover for a moment over his cheek, uncertain if she wanted to touch him.

"I don't know what happened. Maybe I do…I'm not sure. I think I just don't want to remember, just alike are we not?" She laughed softly.

She paused for a moment, lips pressed together in a tight line. "I think I forgave you long ago…not sure why or even if I should. Maybe it's the travel'n. I did miss it. There were so many wonders I hadn't seen, so many things I wanted to do, maybe I just forgot to be angry. I just wished you had told me."

She sighed heavily, "remember how I wanted forever? Now I've got it. Guess now I must pay the price. Why do people want immortality? No good comes of it, there is always a price to pay, one that is impossible to pay without losing yourself."

His eyes closed, a piece of his hair falling across his forehead.

"I'm scared," the words barely reached her ears, her voice straining until it ached, "there isn't anything I can do. It's already begun to take me. It's getting easier for it to take control. I'm powerless against it. Damn these voices in my head."

Her hand shook where she held it above his cheek. She lowered it slowly, then placed it gently on his wrist. "I wish there was a way to tell you. Maybe Clara will be smart enough to figure it out, she saw me once, it was a moment, but perhaps it can happen again. Though it is slightly embarrassing to that find your old companion has been haunting you…not that I've had much of a choice but still…" her thumb gently caressed the back of his hand, "I will find a way. I'm not gone yet."

He had drifted far away from her, but she cared not, he looked like a child, and all she wanted was to keep him close. She lay there with him, and savored the calm and quiet before the storm broke. How she dreaded the pending thunder.


	14. A Favor

"Where do you go?" The Creature asked flippantly. The Doctor and Clara where in a heated discussion. Clara was trying desperately to get him to erase the ominous words from the wall, but the Doctor refused to let her touch them. He insisted on their importance, as it was a warning, but the bold print unsettled Clara, as well as the Creature. The Doctor seemed to have a hard time explaining how he new the words held an important message, which ultimately frustrated his companion at his lack of explanation. The Creature reclined back, watching the exchange, her eyes never left the pair, even when River unexpectedly joined her. River turned and stared at her profile, tilting her head a curious angle.

"And what makes you think I'll answer your questions?" Her tone was humorous, but her stare belayed her unwillingness to comply.

"If you are allowed to come and go as you please, you are not bound by this worlds rules," the Creature continued, "where do you go back to?"

River shook her head, "why should I answer your questions? You refuse to answer mine."

The Creature didn't hear her, her prime focus on a rambling thought. "If you can be here even after your death, some part of you has been kept alive. Where is this place?"

River's face contorted into annoyance, "you've told me repeatedly how you've seen it _all._ You should already know."

The Creature blinked, her eyes finally focusing on River's face.

"I was not here then." She answered like it the most obvious thing.

"Convenient," River murmured.

"I haven't been here forever, only a few centuries."

"Why so interested now?"

"What is that place, and where is it?" The Creature pressed.

River grinned, again shaking her head, "why do you think you are the only one who gets to ask questions and receive an answer?"

"Humor me?" The Creature turned, leaning a forearm on the rail, lips twisting into what could have resemble a smile.

"I don't like your kind of humor," River returned the grin. A shadow passed over the Creature's face, her jaw hardened, brows pulled close together, and a confusing emotion close to helplessness flitted across her gaze. River scrutinized her face, confounded by what the Creature had openly displayed. Then after a thought, River cleared her throat.

"How about a game?"

The Creature's eyebrows rose, betraying her surprise, "a game?"

Her eyes narrowed, "what sort of game?"

River's eyes gleamed, "one that would give us both answers."

Mouth pressed thin, the Creature inclined her head, "what are the rules?"

River turned back to watching the Doctor, her demeanor more at ease. "I ask a question and if you refuse to answer you owe me a favor, the same goes for you."

The Creature huffed, her teeth digging into her bottom lip.

"We both get what we want," River prompted. The Creature slit her eyes toward the women, unease obvious in her stiff stance. Owing a favor, to River, was one of the last things in the world the Creature would ever want to have held above her head. But was her pride worth the life of more innocents? Maybe the answer she sought was standing before her. She gritted her teeth, willing her hammering heart to slow its pace.

After a moment the Creature added, "we each get ten questions, no more, no less."

River grinned, "deal."

The Creature grew in a breath, regret already seeping into her mind. "I ask the first question," she stated decidedly, and River dared not argue.

"I know you died, but here you are, how is that?"

River sighed. "It's rather a long story. Summed up, the Doctor saved my conscious to a system. A library. It is a good place, very earth like, but it has a sense of home. He said it was safe, and so it is."

The Creature said nothing for a long moment, then murmured, "it is safe. Can anyone be saved to this...system?"

River quirked an eyebrow, "is this another question?"

The Creature scrunched her nose, "yes."

River shrugged, "yes I suppose so."

The Creature inclined her head down to her chest, her mind settling in another dimension.

"Well, now I suppose its my turn," River continued, jostling the Creature from her thoughts. River held a finger to her lips, deliberately dragging the moment longer than the Creature thought necessary. She didn't like it, River held an advantage over her and River knew it. Her pride began to simmer.

"What is the first memory you have of coming here?"

The Creature's head jerked at at the question, her eyes again narrowed. It was a goading question.

"Do you pass?" River asked.

With a foreboding glare, the Creature let out a troubled sigh.

"No," she relented, "not sure why my past is so intriguing to you," she paused, "it was so long ago...I remember being confused. I did not understand what this world was, why the Doctor could not see me. It was 1954, Elvis Presley was performing, and there were demons crawling everywhere. That is my first memory." She shrugged after a quiet pause, "nothing extraordinary."

River eyed her, then shrugged, "no big bang then, just a 'poof' and you appeared?"

The Creature scoffed, "that a question?"

River laughed, "no, but your story needs a bit of flare."

The Creature rolled her eyes. "Bigger the flare the less likely people will believe it."

"Always so condescending. What is your question now? You have eight left."

"Yes I know," the Creature rebuffed, "I want to know how you are here. If you were saved into that system, how can you be here?"

River pursed her lips, "my conscious was saved into the system, it is like living in the after life in a way. I suppose, I'm not exactly sure how I came to be here...jumping between two worlds it is. One day I heard a call, then I found you lying in the dirt with demons crawling around you."

"I see. And in this world of yours, is it impenetrable? Does one have to die to be saved?"

River quirked an eyebrow. "That is two questions."

"Yes I know," she snapped, "so answer them."

"Very well, you now have six questions left. The first, I believe it is, and secondly, no. Just because I died doesn't mean others have to die to be...saved."

River cleared her throat. "My turn then." She slanted her gaze toward the Creature, a smirk danced at the edge of her lips.

"What is your name?"

The Creature grimaced, and glanced up at the women narrowly. "Back to that again. I already told you I don't remember."

River met her eyes, and with slow certainty said, "yes you do."

The statement was so profound the Creature glanced away from River. She gazed at the counsel, words no longer forming her lips.

"The name no longer fits me. It was meant for the girl I was then; I am not her any more."

"So do you pass?" Was River's only response.

The Creature's face became solemn, a twisting sensation clustered in the pit of her stomach.

To owe River a favor...

"Rose," her voice ground in her throat, "my name was Rose."

River grinned. "Your right. It doesn't fit you."

The Creature ground her teeth, "well since we are on the topic, what is the Doctors name?" A satisfying smile stretched the Creature's lips. River shook her head, a knowing expression on her face.

"He never told you?" she quipped instead.

The Creature quirked a brow. River sighed, "its Bob," the smirk at the corner of her mouth betrayed her jest.

The Creature's face remained impassive; the attempt of humor quickly deflated form River's eyes.

"You pass then." The Creature stated.

"Most indefinitely."

"Then you owe me a favor."

River shrugged, "make it a good one."

The Creature's eyes fell to the ground, mouth pressed into a fine line, yes, she knew exactly what she wanted River to do.

"Your turn," the Creature said gruffly.

"You were a passed companion then?" River asked.

The Creature looked annoyed, "waste of a question."

"Did you love him?"

The Creature frowned. "Which question do you want me to answer?"

"Both."

"Fine. Yes, I was a past companion. I joined him after his regeneration from the Time War."

"I never saw that face," River acknowledged.

"He had big ears," the Creature said rather fondly, "and bright blue eyes. I always did miss that face."

She spoke freely, without any reserve, something that was a rare occurrence; a memory River would not forget.

"And the second?" River persisted.

The Creature struggled inwardly, admitting to such a sacred feeling further twisted her pride.

"I did once," her voice came in short breaths, "I wished to live forever so I could travel with him. To be with him. "

"And now?"

She ground her jaw, "no."

 _Liar,_ the beast hissed.

"What changed?"

The Creature pushed herself away from the railing, she glanced once at the black letters stained on the wall, heard the Doctor's mindless chatter, then turned back to face River.

"My turn to ask a question now," she said fervently, "and I want to...cash in my favor."

A little annoyed, River folded her arms against her chest.

"Fine. What is it then?"

"I want you to find a way to kill me."


	15. All Gone

_Tick tock..._

She wished Clara and the Doctor would pick a destination already, boredom was becoming a rather dangerous pastime.

 _It will come to take her..._

She had tried so hard to forget, but the monster wouldn't let her. It wanted her body and soul, to invade every thought and every feeling, it wanted complete control.

 _Rose shall fade away..._

She could see herself fading away, bit by bit the monster would erase everything she ever was, and when she was finally gone the world would never again be the same. She adjusted her hand to rest against her temple, again she wished for a bit of action to allow a reprieve from her dreary thoughts. She glanced about, there were a few demons lurking about, but hadn't decided to creep from their hiding spots. She raised an eyebrow at a particular shadow that had darted suddenly away from her, as though it had thought better of attacking just yet.

"Ah, come on now, lets have a bit of fun eh?" She teased the shadows. She slipped from her perch on the bars and sashayed about the shadows, "don't be scared, I don't bite, thats your specialty. How about we play a little game?" The shadows trembled slightly, but made no further move. She pursed her lips.

"Still talking to yourself I see."

She whirled around to see River leaning over the railing, looking at the shadows.

"Where the hell have you been?" The Creature snapped too crossly.

The parting of their last encounter had been abrupt. After she demanded her favor, an aghast expression widened River's eyes, "kill you?" she had uttered, "no I won't."

Anger had raged through the Creature's eyes. "We have an agreement, and you go back on your word?"

"We have an agreement on a favor, not of death."

"I never said you had to kill me, simply help me find the means to do it."

"No."

Anger had become a flood, washing away reasonable thought, breaking down any wall the Creature had built; leveling it to sand.

She struggled to breathe. "You dare break your word. You promised me a favor."

"I'm sorry," River had whispered.

"People will die!" the Creature had begun to screech, she waved her hand up at the black words still plastered on the wall, "those words are a warning, to me, it will come and take me, and when it does everyone will be in danger. Even him."

"And the only solution is for you do die?" River shook her head, "there has to be another way..."  
"If there is another way, do you think I would have found it by now?" The Creature hissed, "you are the only hop I have left."

River looked up solemnly, "I will not give you the key that will unlock your demise."

"You promised me," the Creature breathed.

"I'm sorry."

"You _promised_ me!" Despair bleed into the Creature's heart, she saw the world burning, the Doctor dead, and she screamed. River had backed away from the Creature, hand lowering to her gun. Rage convulsed the Creature's body, the red veins in the her eyes had swelled, blood mixed with molten gold, she had become a crazed demon herself.

"I'm sorry," River lamented, and with those words she had vanished from view.

" _Damn you!_ " The Creature had raged, she ran her fingers through her hair, pulled at the strands.

What to do...

What to do...

Now, after a week without an appearance, the Creature dared not look River in the eyes. In a casual attempt River hoisted herself up onto the railing grinning.

"Miss me?"

The Creature grunted, "whats there to miss," she muttered.

"Why do you do that?" River motioned toward the quivering shadows, "your completely outnumbered, do you want to get hurt?"

The Creature shrugged. "I'm bored. It's not the first time I've been outnumbered."

River shook her head, "its like tempting death."

The Creature lifted a brow. "I can't die remember?"

River nodded, an unsure expression flitting across her face, "why did you ask me about the library?"

"The games over. No more questions," the Creature snipped brushing past River abruptly. She walked past the threshold of the counsel room and slipped into the library. The chatter of the Doctor and Clara could still be heard in the distance, but she stared numbly at the wall of books lining the shelves, slumped into the large sofa.

"I never asked all my questions," River's voice broke her silent reverie.

The Creature crossed her legs, looking rather regal where she sat despite her slumped state.

"And life is never fair. Get over it."

River ventured further into the room, a fingertip running along a shelf, staring intently on a book spine, her mind drifting far away.

"Where are you now, that makes you so desperate to die..." River muttered allowed.

"Fear," the Creature whispered slowly, River turned at the broken sound of her voice, "desperation, knowledge of what will come."

"You are so different," River leaned against a shelf, arms crossed against her chest; the Creature glanced up at River, annoyed.

"You used to be so different. Even your appearance changed." River's words seemed to echo in the room.

The Creature sighed, "you looked through the archives."

"I was curious. He never mentioned you, so I looked around a bit," she paused, her direct gaze on the Creature's slumped form never faltered, "you are nothing like you were then. You were so...human. A little blond girl."

The Creature grunted and lifted a long strand of auburn hair, "after two hundred years, you get bored of the same appearance."

"How are you able to change?"

"The beast likes to change things around," the Creature goaded without thinking.

"The beast?"

The Creature thinned her lips, her eyes falling to stare lamentably at the floor.

"I asked about your...library...because if it came to it, as a last resort, I wondered if the Doctor could be saved to it, if nothing else could be done."

"Are you answering questions now?" River mused, tilting her head.

"What question would I have to answer that would make you accept my favor?"

River shook her head, eyes troubled.

"How ready you are to sign away your life." Sympathy was etched on River's face. The Creature growled, and abruptly stood to her feet.

"What kind of life is this?" She spread her arms wide, "this is no life. I've lived in a false reality for too long. I've forgotten what the sun even feels like on a summer's day, what kind of life is that?" She rubbed her fingers aggressively across her eyes. River noticed how tangled and matted the Creature's hair had become, how her eyes had lost light, and the gold in them had dimmed.

"Rose, why do you want to die?" River asked softly. The Creature huffed, a laugh erupting form her throat, her hands dropped back to her sides, her eyes were red.

"Do not call me that. I never want to hear that name again." She shifted back and forth on her feet, her arms wrapped tightly around her stomach, "with my death, his life will be saved, as well as countless others, it is perfectly justified."

River's brow furrowed, "what do you mean by that?"

The Creature hiccuped a breath, a nonsensical laugh bubbled from her lips.

"This thing," her hand wavered up to her head, "inside my head...this beast...its coming for me, to take me away, the Big Bad Wolf, it wants me gone, to be in control. It ravages, burns, it kills, and when I'm gone there will be nothing to stop it."

River stood motionless. Unsure of the crazed women in front of her. The Creature had always held a demanding stature, eyes such as hers belayed great intelligence, as well as a dangerous threat, but now she wavered on her legs, blood shot eyes gazed up at River, she was going mad. The Creature took a step forward and reached out. For whatever reason River let the Creature take her hand, perhaps it was the shock the Creature made the gesture herself, but she clung to River's hand as if it were her lifeline.

"Do it, for him. Kill me, for him. He can't die, not because of me. The world will turn to ash if I don't die. I'm growing weaker every day, please help me save him...please," though she begged, the words burned the Creature's throat, how her pride and dignity wept with despair.

River withdrew her hand.

"No, I'm sorry."

The Creature could only stare. Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes dimmed, she shoved past River.

"There has to be another way," River called after her, "I'll help you find another way. That is what I will do."

The Creature stopped her step, laying a hand on a shelf she turned slightly to look at River with thin eyes.

"There is no other way," she sneered, "if one life will save millions, a universe of lives, such a sacrifice must be made."

"And who would be here to protect the Doctor form the demons?" River persisted, trying to grasp anything.

The Creature turned away, "you of course," she began to shuffle out of the room.

River's eyes hardened, "what of you being saved to the library? What of that?"

The Creature shook her head, "wouldn't stop the beast from breaking out. It draws its life form from me. It needs me alive so it can live," she laughed bitterly, "a parasites dream, living off an eternal soul that can never die. No, just locking me away somewhere else will never work," she turned back facing River, her face solemn, as if she were one who had fought a long and hard battle and had lost, "you have no idea what it is capable of, what it can do..." her voice trailed off. Her eyes flitted to the side of the room, and slowly the light began to shine through them again. She drew in a breath, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She glanced back at River and a crooked smile stretched across her mouth.

"But I can show you," she whispered.

Strength returned to her limbs, and with purpose she strided towards River and descended on her. She acted too quickly for River to react, for she reached out and placed her hands on both sides of River head, and poured her memories of the beasts terror into her mind.

She shuffled through memory after memory, fire raging, blood running. River saw the beast through the Creature's eyes, and saw its red golden eyes. She saw a world crumbling, the streets breaking apart, forming chasms in the earth. The sky had turned dark, and the sun appeared to be disappearing, as if it were shrinking. Children cried for their parents, and in the memory River saw a child shaking the still body of a women. She heard the screams of terror, the sound was inhuman. But it wasn't just the world, the screams were heard throughout the stars, so many voices, ricocheted through Rivers ears. Then suddenly it stopped, all was silent, and that was the worst sound of all. The Creature flipped to another memory, one where she awoke to find blood once again staining her hands and a body laying at her feet. His eyes were gone, and his mouth was hanging open in a silent scream.

River squirmed in the Creature's grip, wanting an escape from these images.

"Enough!" She wanted to say, but couldn't. The Creature bombarded her with memories of the aftermath of what the beast had done, could do, it was almost a pleasure for her to know River was in distress. But then, as if she has lost control, a memory, she had locked away for years suddenly resurfaced. The door flew open and the memory was seized and relived. The Creature heard the beast laugh.

River saw the Creature strapped to a table, men in white coats and odd machinery filled the room. The Creature now resembled her human form, blond hair fanned about her head, brown eyes glared at a particular man leaning over her. Words were said, screams erupted from the Creature's mouth; begging, swearing, and a golden light running through the Creature's veins. Abruptly, River was thrown out of the memory as if she had been shoved.

The both breathed hard, neither spoke, only stared at the each other.

"That is what will happen if the beast breaks out," the Creature said between breaths, her hands slightly shook.

"Those people, the world...a whole universe...gone," River pushed a hand up to her hair, she almost couldn't comprehend what she had just witnessed.

"My world, my universe," the Creature whispered. River glanced up at her, appalled.

"I destroyed it, all of it. The whole world, all the stars, all gone..." she turned away, rubbing her face aggressively, "I will not let that happen again. It cannot."

"You were hurt." River said after a moment, "who were they?"

The Creature shook her head, "not important. They are gone now. River, do you not see why I need to do this?" She would get on her hands and knees if she must, her pride was almost non existent now.

"You're a real Jekyll and Hyde," River thinned her lips, "I'll do it," her voice ground in her throat, "I'll do it."

The Creature said not a word, could only nod, but her heart was flooded with a tilde wave of relief, joy, and terror. Perhaps there was still some human still left in her, for the urge for survival suddenly leapt in retaliation. She didn't want to die, she wanted to live, to feel the sun again on her face, to hold his hand one last time. But life is cruel, and so very unfair, get over it.

"Thank you," she whispered, then turned and walked back to the counsel room, now waiting for her execution.


	16. The Gift

_You are a fool,_ it sneers.

The Creature made no reply, simply stood behind Clara as she interrogated a rather odd looking green alien. There was something to do with a jewel that was stolen from a well known duchess, and a hairy chicken. It was rather intriguing, enough to catch the Creature's attention, but was not distracting enough for her to ignore the threats whispered in her own ear.

 _Do you actually believe you have the ability to be rid of me?_

"Where there is a will, there is a way," she sneered back.

 _There is so much I can offer you._

"And at what price?" She challenged. She could hear the crackling flames somewhere in a memory.

 _There is nothing I have not done for you,_ its voice lilted softly.

She recalled the man from her memory, how his eyes had been torn from his sockets, and shuddered.

 _You deserve so much, stop being the fool and let me..._

"Please shut up," her voice had lost its vigor, she was tired.

 _Little girl, so lost, so alone,_ it hummed.

She passed a hand over her eyes, messaging the ache behind her eyes.

 _You are mine, never forget that._

"Yours...never," her eyes followed Clara as she walked away. The companion retraced her steps back toward the Doctor who seemed to be in a deep conversation with a being with eight hands.

 _You want to be free of this place? All you have to do is ask._

She scoffed. "I want to be free of you."

 _Without me, you would be nothing. You wouldn't even exist. Unable to stand here now with your darling Doctor._

She grinned knowingly. "Scared are we? Now that I have the help of River, you will do anything now to defer me, wont you?"

 _I've made you the offer once before._

She remembered, and the wanting of freedom still sang in her veins. How many times had she created different realities in which she broke free, where she reencountered the Doctor? The words she would say, but there were no words she could form that sounded just right. How many times these realities darkened when she would picture his face, what he would think. Fear of what he would make of the thing she was. He probably wouldn't even know her.

There were demons about. Their shadows trailing behind her, but she walked on, waiting for them to pounce.

 _Do you not recall how they strapped you down, cut you open? After all that you did for them, they still wanted more._

She ground her teeth.

"That was different." She hurried her step, her eyes darting quickly to the scurrying shadows.

 _They betrayed you. Hurt you, and I saved you. I brought you to your full power and you squander it all for what?_

"You burned my world, the whole universe...do you not hear their screams? I do...I cannot stop hearing them."

 _You said so yourself that sacrifices must be made._

"Children are not sacrifices," she snarled, she dug her nails deep into her palms leaving crescent moons blooded on her skin.

 _Innocent blood is always paid for a greater cause._

"You expect me to thank you for what you have done?"

 _I expect you to realize what I have done for us. Together we are unstoppable, immortal. We are more powerful than God._

"Pride goes before the fall..." she muttered, her eyes flitted to a moving shadow that had been following her for the past hour.

 _There is so much more I can do..._

She knew it was right. There was undeniable power at the tips of her fingers, but nothing was ever given without a price, and such a price, she knew, would be the end of humanity.

"I will find a way to end you. There is nothing you can say, or do, to change my mind. Enjoy your last few hours while you can, you never know when it will be your last." She couldn't hide her grin, how good it felt to be the one holding the power.

It snarled.

 _Foolish child._

Then, as if it had been waiting for the right moment, a demon leaped from its shadow with its claws ready to shred the Creature into slivers of thread. At the last second the Creature was able to duck away from its sudden rush, and as the demon scrambled desperately to reach her, the thing dispersed into ashes, in a hazy flash of white gold light. The Creature held her aching hands to her chest, the glow in them fading quickly; a snarl close to her ear made her jerk her eyes up to meet an angry red gaze. A single swipe from its abnormal large claw, it sent her head reeling down toward the dirt. Stars danced hazily in front of her eyes, a pain nearly split her head in half, the light of the planets sun further agonizing the pain. She stumbled to her feet, the power slowly building back inside her. She side stepped a rather pathetic looking demon, and eradicated another of its skin and bones. The demons howled.

 _You would be rid of me, be rid of all I could give you..._

She ground a demons head into the dirt.

 _Of everything I have done and you do not understand what I am offering._

A claw lacerated down her chest, leaving her gasping in shock.

 _I saved you, and this is how you will repay me._

She ground her teeth, her pulse pounding in her ears. Hundreds of red eyes stared at her, she tensed waiting for the pounce. Their eyes glinted mischievously, and she wet her lips. The monster paced impatiently in its cage.

 _Do you not know what we are capable of?_

Surrounded, she was completely surrounded. The Doctor and Clara were no longer in view, only the mass of black and sparkling red eyes swelled before her vision. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her jaw ground together in aggravation. All breath escaped from her lungs, and her eyes hardened as the black mass descended down with their claws gleaming in the sun rays.

 _More, we are so much more than this,_ the monster lamented rather sadly.

A demon leaped on her back, clawing at her, another sunk its razor teeth into her shoulder. She gurgled a scream, and ripped through the flesh of the demon attached to her shoulder, and spilled its twisted intestines.

The monster snarled.

 _You want freedom from this? I can give you that!_

"Enough!" She screamed. A demon leaped, shoving her downward, laying across her chest. She thrust a forearm against its neck, keeping its snapping jaws inches from her nose.

The monster laughed ominously.

 _Fear not, my dear. You are my pride and joy, my dearest, my love, my services are yours._

The bars to the cage rattled, and her eyes widened.

"No..." she whispered. The demons maw snapped dangerously close, barely scratching her chin. Another demon snapped at her legs making her thrash on the hard dirt. The monster rattled its bars, the lock almost giving way. She struggled inwardly, trying desperately to keep the bars from shattering, while keeping the heavy demon from snapping her head off her neck.

 _Come now my dear..._

"No...no..." she tasted blood on her tongue, the bars were slowly mending.

With a tired cry, she heaved the demon off her chest, its head imploding. She scrambled clumsily to her feet, her legs bending beneath her weight. The demons circled around her, red eyes glaring, nostrils flaring, mouths gaping. She shuddered.

 _You keep me behind bars, after the world turned against you, you have the audacity to lock me away, when I could have shown you the beauty of life. We can make the universe bow to us, all at our command. Just let me show you..._

She looked the demons placidly in the eyes; a hardened stare in a stoic face.

"All monsters must die." Red eyes glinted up at her, snarls twisting their mouths to reveal their bloody teeth.

The monster growled low in its throat, and pressed its face as far as it would go between the cage bars.

 _The monster is not who you think it is, and although you remain a stubborn fool, I will give you a gift._

With its last words, the monster reeled against the cage, the bars bending under its weight.

She gasped, clutching her head.

The demons hurled themselves at her, and she was again knocked down.

Claws glinted in the sun, the bars bent further still, red eyes laughed, and the monster howled. She screeched as a bar broke in half, and a gnarly claw caught her in the jaw.

"Please stop!" She begged, she could barely concentrate. The cage was failing, and the demons raged tenfold.

 _Your gift, my love._

The cage broke, shattering into irreparable pieces. She screamed as the darkness took hold of her, pain sparked through her head, the light became diminished by the dark. And she knew no more.

She awoke back inside the TARDIS. In a frenzied panic, she leapt from where she lay to only fall back again to the floor as the room spun in circles. She pressed her hands to her eyes, groaning as the dizziness almost made her sick. She blindly fluttered a hand about, feeling for anything to grasp on to. Her hand hit a metal bar, then slowly, she heavily pulled herself up again. She stood precariously on her feet, her knuckles turning white as she gripped the bar.

"What...did you..do...?" She gasped.

It did not reply.

She leaned away from the bar and clutched at the counsel, leaning her weight into the sturdy metal. Her head reeled, but she detected, despite her current mad state, something was very wrong. Or rather just...different. She closed her eyes, desperate to numb the twisting of her stomach, and the splitting pain in her head. So distracted was she from the world about her, she did not hear the foot steps heading into the counsel room. Nor did she register the sudden stop of said foot steps, and she did not hear the startled intake of air. She took a long deep breath, but the much needed air escaped her lungs as a hand latched in a vise like grip over her wrist.

Her head jerked up, and so unprepared was she for those bright green eyes to be staring back into her own, she nearly fell back onto the floor. Her eyes widened, her mouth unhinged, all air was sucked from her lungs. The green eyes hardened as he studied her, then finally, after what felt as an hour of silence he muttered, "who are you?"

And she knew he could finally see her.


	17. No One

She couldn't move. No demon could have dragged her away. Her jaw was unhinged, but her lips could form no words. What does one say to the person she had been haunting for more than a century? She never dreamed she would even ask such a question, and the answer was even more ambiguous than the question itself.

 _Who are you_ , he had asked. Who was she, indeed. She was many things, but non by which he would know her. He did not know her. He looked in her eyes, saw her face, and did not know her. Should she be grateful? If one thing she dreaded most, was explaining to him in full, what she had become. Unconsciously, she tried to pull free her wrist from his grasp, but he only tightened his grip, eyes slowly narrowing.

"How did you get inside the TARDIS?" He asked slowly, as if she might not understand his words. Her mind desperately worked to form a sentence, but the words never made it passed her mouth. His eyes bore into hers, and any ghost of a sentence evaporated.

He could see her, he saw her...

"Doctor?" The new voice startled them both. They turned quickly from each other, the woman managing to slip away from the Doctors grasp, and turned piercing eyes to the girl standing in the door way.

"Who's this?" Clara asked, and stepped into the room.

"Not sure," the Doctor had not lifted his eyes from the woman's face. She could feel him staring at her, and she squirmed uncomfortably underneath his scrutinizing gaze. She couldn't look at him.

"How did she get here? We're still in the time vortex."

"That is a very interesting and obvious question, Clara," the Doctor mused crossing his arms.

She could not find her voice, her lips twisted, but no sound emitted from them.

"Can she talk?" Clara whispered.

The Creature's eyes jolted toward Clara's face, her eyes narrowed.

"Of course I can," she snapped, the gruff voice surprised them all.

"Well... hello then, I'm Clara, and this is the Doctor," Clara said a little too brightly, a little tentatively, and as she stepped closer to the tall women, she stretched out her hand. The Creature gazed down at the girls hand, her brow worried together.

"Well, now that we've said our formalities," the Doctor stepped back, assessing the woman fully, "mind telling us your name, and how you got here?" After a thought he continued, "actually I really do need you to tell me how you got here. Firstly, because no one can just walk in here, and if you did then something is very wrong with the old girl. " He lay his hand on the counsel, gently patting the metal surface. The Creature couldn't hide her sudden grin at the gesture.

"And quite obviously we are in the middle of space and time," he stepped closer to her, his eyes mere inches from hers, "how did you get here?" His voice was soft, but the demand in the proclamation weighed heavily in the air.

Disgruntled, she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip, desperate to find composure. What should she say? She could be anyone, be anything, now that she knew for certain he did not recognize her. She didn't have to relive and retell painful memories. She didn't have to be her; the women who lived with a beast in her head, who watched the universe burn, who had caused so much turmoil, and someone who had been fighting demons for the past few centuries. She could be something new.

"I don't know." She stated simply, her eyes finally rested on the Doctors face. How green his eyes were.

"Don't know your name, or don't know how you got here?" Clara queried.

Impassively, the Creature inclined her head.

"I do not have a name, and no I do not know how I came here."

The lie slipped easily from her lips.

"How does one not have a name?" Clara asked surprised. She assessed the women before her, "are you not human?" she wondered aloud.

The Creature scrunched her nose, unsure how to answer.

"I'm don't know," that much was honest.

"How did you find the TARIS?" The Doctor again asked.

"I don't know."

"Is there anything you do know?" He demanded, rather exaggerated.

Her eyes flitted up to the worn letters still plastered on the wall. The idea that then settled soundly in her mind made her lips twist wolfishly.

She straightened her stance, and with profound authority stated. "I have a warning for you, Doctor." She felt something uncomfortably stir in the back of her mind. "I have come to tell you something is coming, something that will cause this universe to burn if it is not destroyed. And you are its first target."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows.

"Is that so?"

"It is."

"Ah," he turned away from her slightly, glancing at Clara, warning her silently to stay alert, "and how have you come across such information?"

"There are whispers." Half lies, half truths; the beast thought it would get the best of her, how wrong it was.

"Only whispers?" He questioned.

"Whispers of a beast that prowls the skies, looking for the lone Doctor, and wishes to devour the stars."

He raised his eyebrows, "strange whispers." He turned on his heel, treading towards Clara, but whirled about to face the woman again.

"You say you have no idea how you came here?"

She shook her head.

"Non at all?" He persisted.

"I woke up on the floor. No memory beyond that point." She snapped, rather impatiently.

"But yet you have this warning to give me?" He was skeptic of her, she knew he was trying to solve the puzzle but couldn't find all the pieces.

She stared at him unblinking, an impassive mask taking hold of her features.

"Maybe she has amnesia?" Clara suggested.

The Doctor took another step closer to her. He was taller than her, but she had the impression she intimidated him.

The familiar sound of the screwdriver filled her ears. She couldn't force her eyes from his, and his never left her face. He saw her, he stood before her and saw her fully. Her hand twitched, the impulse to touch his face almost empowered her every nerve. With a flick of his wrist the sounds stopped; only then did he look away from her, and she dragged in the air her lungs had been screaming for.

He frowned at the object in his hand. "How strange," he mumbled.

"What is it?" Clara asked, looking over his shoulder.

"It is one of the most bizarre readings I've ever seen."

"How so?" Clara rolled her eyes.

Just before the woman could react the Doctor leaned close to her, his nose almost brushing hers, this time curiosity filled his eyes.

"It is bizarre because it says...nothing. You're practically nothing. You're made of nothing, you emit nothing. You're no one."

The women raised her eyebrows in surprise, "well obviously I am something." She shrugged.

The Doctor reached out a hand and lay his fingers on her shoulder, she tensed.

"Hm, you're defiantly made of matter most assuredly." He leaned away from her, walking about her person, as if trying to see the hidden secrets from different angels.

"Sorry," Clara's voice filled the taut silence, "he can be a bit strange sometimes."

The woman's eyes lifted to Clara's face for a moment, and in that moment Clara saw an image, something she wished she could grasp and hold on to until she knew for certain what she was seeing, but the image passed, and she could not remember.

"How can one take up space, and be made of some kind of matter, but have no structure, no DNA, and have no relevance whatsoever." The Doctor muttered aloud.

"And rude," Clara laughed shakily. The woman said nothing, her face still hidden behind her impassive mask.

The Doctor circled her one last time, his arms folded against his chest, his mind working the puzzle before him. "You are very strange." His bluntness made the woman's lips form half a smile. "And quite a mystery." After a moment of thought, he continued, "since you do not know who you are, or how you even got here, and because you have given me this warning, I think it is quite obvious you should stay here in the TARDIS until we know for certain what you are, and what this warning means."

The woman's lips formed a straight line, her jaw working to keep back the laugh that bubbled up inside her chest.

 _As if you have a choice in the matter._ Its voice surprised her, and the laughter died in her throat.

Clara took a concerned step forward, "are you sure thats a good idea, Doctor?"

"I think it will be an interesting experience," he turned away from the woman and looked at his companion, already settling the matter before it was even discussed. "She has to stay here, Clara. Someone who just appears in the TARDIS, especially since we are in the tim vortex, is no light matter. She could be dangerous. We shouldn't let her go just yet. Besides," he glanced up at the black letters, his voice suddenly lamenting, "this warning sounds important."

He quickly turned on his heel, arms out stretched toward the women who glared at him skeptically.

"Welcome aboard the TARIDS."

Hey everyone! So sorry its taken me so long to update! Its been a crazy summer, plus I'm transferring schools so thats crazy too. Hope yall like it! Let me know what ya'll think!


	18. Memory

He was looking at her. Not in the way that made her heart race or blood rush to her face, but in the way that made her shift uneasily; attempting to meet his stare but to halt halfway to glance in the opposite direction. He was trying to put together a puzzle, trying to answer the questions she left unanswered.

"What should we call you?" Clara asked, aware of the unsettled tension hanging around the room.

The woman's eyes cut toward her suddenly, "is that necessary?"

"Everything has a name," Clara laughed lightly.

The Doctor nodded, "yes you must have some sort of name. You can't go your whole life without one. No one goes around calling each other it or thing..."

"Is there anything you remember at all...perhaps when you were a child?" Clara interrupted quickly. How far should she play this game? The Creature wondered. How close could she let them in?

"Not really." She answered softly, hesitantly.

Clara raised an eyebrow. "So you have a partial memory?"

"A small one," the women cleared her throat.

"Go on." The Doctor pressured, he stepped closer, his hands crossed over his chest. His mind was working fast. Did she already let something slip?

"Light, lots of light. And buildings...people..." The woman's voice trailed off.

"How is it," the Doctors voice was low, reeling her eyes to finally meet his, "you barely have any memory at all, but know who we are," he stepped toward her, and she was surprised when she felt the instinct to back away; squaring her jaw, she refused to take her eyes way from his. "When you arrived here you addressed me by name."

The women scoffed, "you gave me your name." She reminded him snappishly.

"Yes, but you had something to give to me directly. A warning correct? You gave that warning specifically to me, meaning before you came, you must have known who I was in order to give this...warning, however vague it may be. Whatever happened before, there was a perfect design to get you here, a rather impossible design for you to arrive as you did. And to appear perfectly in the TARDIS without being lost in the vortex? A miracle, I say."

"Indeed," she breathed, she could not escape his gaze.

"You are not telling everything," he leaned closer; piercing eyes stealing her breath.

"If I had more to say I would. Am I not informing you of a threat that will harm you both? I am here on my own meaning telling you this."

"And at what cost?" He muttered skeptically. The women frowned.

"You being here at all is impossible, and yes you have been so gracious as to 'inform' us as you put it, but what merit does it have?" He stepped closer, she clenched her fists, her heart racing, "you put on a convincing front of indifference, but there is something...wrong." He inclined his head away from her, then abruptly turning on his heel to press more buttons on the counsel.

Her breath caught in her throat, unchecked anger begun to course through her veins. "Indifference? You say it is a miracle I am here, and yes it is. I could be stranded, lost in time. If you only knew the hell I was put through, and you say something is...wrong."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "what kind of hell? You said you had no memory."

The women swallowed. "I am not here to cause harm. I am here only to provide what I know will be a disaster."

"Yes, but what is it?" He sounded exasperated, "something will destroy the universe, and I am the target? As wonderful as it sounds, that is something I hear almost daily. If there is something coming, it would be nice to know what 'it' is. Otherwise we might completely be looking the other way when 'it' does arrive and we will never know before it is too late."

The women's lips thinned. Her eyes glowing that unusual golden light a sign of her temper rising. She glanced upward at the wall.

"Something of the wolf..." she muttered too softly.

"What?" Clara urged.

The women shifted her eyes to fix on Clara. "There is a wolf. I remember a wolf."  
"What do you mean a wolf?" Clara inquired, confused.

The women motioned up to the words, "the big bad wolf, it wants to devour, wants to kill, likes to hurt, it wants to burn..." Her words were cut short by the sudden iron grip on her arm; his eyes gleaming down at her. She hissed and wrenched her arm away.

"What do you know of the wolf?" He gasped.

"That is all," she affirmed in a clipped voice.

"You said that before, but now there is more to this story," he challenged.

 _Be careful what you say,_ the haunting voice tickled her ear. Her eyes widened, her breathing shallow. The beast had surprised her. Its presence was no longer caged, it was roaming free, it could take her easily.

"That is all, I promise." She placed a hand over her eyes, seeking stable ground for her divided mind to rest on.

"What do you know of the wolf?" He was unrelenting.

Stupid, stupid!

She shouldn't have mentioned the wolf.

"I know it is the warning for the end. To warn you." She chanced to glance up at him. His eyes roved over her as if looking for something he couldn't find. She had given him more puzzle pieces, but none of them fit; too many pieces were missing.

"You know this how?" He continued to pressure.

"I told you that is all I know."

She fought the quiver in her voice, and worried he heard it. Whether he believed her or not, at least he knew of an impending threat, and maybe, if he did concede to believe her, they could find the way to destroy the beast.

"I know you don't trust me. But give me the time to show you that you can." He rubbed his hands over his face. With a sigh he leaned an arm against the railing and gave her a lopsided smile.

"If you cannot remember what brought you here, or who you are, then we must make you remember."

The women tightened her jaw.

"How?" Clara asked.

"You'll see." He gave the tense women a long look before, again, turning back to his gadgets. The women huffed.

"Even if you managed that, what makes you think I would delve my memories to you?"

The Doctor quirked a brow.

"I do not mean for you to give every detail of your life, not interested. The only memories I want are the one's the pertain to your arrival. You might be holding key evidence to what this 'thing' is."

The women pursed her lips, her eyes hardened.

"And how do you plane to go about retrieving these memories?"

"I'll show you, but you must allow me entrance to your mind." If his eyes had not been diverted, he would have seen the panic in her eyes; only Clara noticed the blanched, panicked face.

The women heard the beast snarl, and bit her tongue to hold back a scream as she felt the beast move, readying itself to take control.

 _Entrance to your mind..._

The words echoed from a distant memory. She dared not relive that one, she could hear the screams emitting from it.

With a shallow breath she placed a hand on the railing. "I have given you everything I know. A good heads start. Messing with my mind is not something that sounds appealing."

"It's painless, I promise," he stated flippantly, not bothering to glance up.

Clara watched the exchange between the two in silence, registering how the women tensed with every passing minuet. Her brows were drawn tightly together, as if in deep thought, or in pain. Her jaw ground together, and her eyes still reflected sharp flecks of gold. Something was wrong.

"You will not touch my mind, or my memories," the women nearly shouted, she heaved as if she were one drowning, desperate for air. Locked memories of things she refused to bring to surface rattled in their boxes. She saw flashes of white coats, dark eyes, instruments made for pain, crying, and bright blinding light.

"Have something to hide?" The Doctor asked quizzically.

"I have no ill will toward you. I have given you something valuable, something that may save your life. At least show some respect."

He leaned his forearms against the counsel, "you would give up the chance to find out what exactly is hunting us?"

She opened her mouth to protest, but in that moment something inside her broke. Her chest heaved and she fell to her knees, hands covering her face. Too many questions, the beast didn't like his questions, and it wanted to hurt him. She heard Clara shout for her, but she sounded so fare away.

Stop! She wanted to plead.

 _I gave you a gift, and this is how you repay me?_ It snarled.

Another noise, the Doctor yelled, the lights flickered.

 _Must I remind you who holds all the power?_

"You will not hurt him," she whispered into her hands. The beast surged, but she pushed back, fighting to remain in control. But she was weak, so tired, so weary. She felt the ground beneath her shift and knew they were all falling.

"You will not do this," she gripped her head, pulling on her hair.

 _You do not command me!_

The TARIDS pitched making her fly across the floor and her back slamming against the console podium.

"As long as I breath, I do command you," with a muffled scream she heaved herself against the beast, and much to her astonishment, it let her regain full control, and retreated back into its darkened depths.

What the hell...

There was chaos around her. Lights flickered, and the Doctors anxious voice reached her ears.

"Everyone hold on!"

Again she was pitched forward, and almost tumbled down the staircase that lead down into the TARDIS depths. She reached and gripped the railing at the last moment and held on as they all tumbled through time.

It has been a while and I'm so sorry! It's been quite busy, but this story will continue!


	19. Freedom

She opened her eyes to smoke drifting lazily about, while lights flashed sporadically. Cold metal lay beneath her head, and she finally realized she was gazing up at the ceiling. She sat up slowly, groaning as her head began to swim.

"Are you alright?" the voice sounded far away, as if it were being muffled by a cloud. Her eyes remained stubbornly unfocused, but she knew Clara's face hovered near hers.

"I'm fine. What happened?" She asked hoarsely, rubbing her temples to try to ease the tension behind her eyes.

"Something took control of the TARDIS," his voice echoed rather painfully through her head, "we've landed somewhere, but I cannot tell exactly where. The navigator isn't working...the warning circuits...its like its all be stripped away..." the stillness in the room was like the foreboding calm before lightening strikes.

"What do you mean?" The women rose rather unsteadily to her feet, leaning heavily on the railing. He paused for a moment, amidst his frantic maneuvers about the console, to glance at her with weary eyes; they reminded her of the green fields that rolled over the hills behind her old home.

"It means I am no longer in control of my own machine, something has disabled the defenses, all but the precaution switch. I do not know where we are, and am completely blind to...everything. Someone, or something, has taken control of my TARDIS." His voice was tight with anger.

The beast was silent, it remained unmoved, yet her hands shook with rising fear.

"How is that possible..." she muttered.

"Its not...it shouldn't..." he rubbed a hand aggressively over his face. Again he turned to look at her, his eyes searching her face, "who are you?" he asked, she supposed rhetorically.

"You think I did this?" She was weary, but there was a harshness in her voice he could not ignore. He was silent for a moment, he searched her face for answers, but found her unwilling to comply. He took a deliberate step toward her, and she suddenly felt very small.

"Impossible, everything at this moment is entirely impossible, even you are impossible. Appearing here, in the middle of the vortex, is completely and utterly impossible! Yet here you are." He lifted his hands in a gesture of exasperation. He hated puzzles he couldn't solve, and she was a puzzle he couldn't even find the pieces to match.

She felt a rising discomfort under his scrutiny, and she fought to remain indifferent even as he took another, more tentative, step toward her.

"But no," he finally relinquished, "I do not believe this," he waved his hands about the room, "was your doing. But, I do believe there is something you are not telling."

He now stood so close. Eyes she new so well, finally gazing back into hers, but she was not prepared for the devastation of seeing the mistrust in them. A sadness imploded through her heart, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep the tumult of emotions at bay. Her hand gripped the rail, but didn't dare take her eyes away from his.

"Shouldn't we at least see where we have landed?" Clara asked, desperate for the void of silence to be filled.

The Doctor sighed, finally looking back at his, rather bewildered, companion.

"The precaution circuit should have landed us in a reasonably safe place, but yes we should take a look around." He looked at the women again, taking note of her white knuckled grip on the railing. Her eyes had traveled up toward the wall where they rested on the bold letters.

"We should look into your memories," he stated mechanically. Her eyes veered back toward him, fear flashed in them, but for only a moment, which faded away into a hardened resolve.

"We must know what is chasing us," he said slowly, hoping she would see his reasoning, "something is here now, already taking us out of the time vortex. Something like that is immensely powerful, impossibly powerful. And as you said, we are in danger. Maybe that something is what brought you here." He had lowered his voice, almost sounding comforting, trying to draw her back to him.

Her eyes imminently locked onto his, and unnervingly never wavered. He saw the gold in her eyes, and marveled how they reminded him of galaxies; there were stars floating in her eyes. They were enchanting, her sharp face, he suddenly noticed, oddly familiar. He hadn't realized how close he stood next to her until he felt her breath on his cheek. She stood so still, her eyes boring into his, he wondered if she could see his soul.

"Please," he urged gently.

She inhaled sharply, her jaw quivering slightly. She looked down, searching, other than his face, to find stable ground to gather her thoughts.

He was right, she knew as much. He would rifle through her memories, he would see everything she desperately tried to hide even from herself; relive moments she buried deep within herself. And then she would most certainly lose everything. His eyes would no longer look upon her with kindness. He would see the monster she had become; the girl he once knew, now gone. But he was right; her selfish desires would only endanger everyone further.

"Will it hurt?" she croaked, ashamed for the abashed emotion she unwillingly displayed. He shook his head, and his hand rose to rest on her shoulder; the connection surprising them both.

"No, not in the least." His voice was reassuring, but how wrong he was. It would hurt her more than he would ever know.

How close he stood.

She wanted to lean into him, take the comfort he used to give her so willingly. But he was a stranger, as was she; the familiarity they once shared was almost a forgotten memory. He seemed to take her silence as consent for he turned to Clara, who had been watching them with raised brows, and said, "I do believe we should take a look outside first."

Clara nodded, as the Doctor rambled down toward the doors, but she glanced back at the women who still stood frozen where the Doctor has left her.

"I suppose thanks is in order," Clara said in her charismatic way, but approached the women slowly as if she were a skittish animal. The women turned, her eyes questioning.

"You came to warn us. However you got to be here, it must have cost you quite a lot to do so. I know he can seem rather formidable, but trust him. The last thing he would do would be to hurt you, or anything actually." She smiled, hoping her words would help pave her way towards the woman's trust.

But the women said nothing, only nodded wordlessly.

With a slight inclination of her head, motioning Clara to follow, both woman walked to join the Doctor, who was fiddling with the door knob.

"Be ready," he cautioned, "we have no idea what could be out there, be ready for...anything."

The woman glanced over her shoulder, only now aware she no longer saw any demons lurking about. Could she no longer see them? A new fear leapt into her chest.

River.

Could she no longer see River?

What if she had found the way to destroy the beast?

She grit her teeth. Dark shadows were erupting all around her mind; she was lost in her actions, her words, she no longer knew what to do. It was all crumbling like sand. Had the beast found a way to shut her out, and drive the invisible wall between her and River?

Thoughts bombarded her, fear rising with each breath, but when the Doctor opened the door, her breath slipped from her lungs in a wordless gasp.

The Doctor and Clara walked slowly form the entry way, eyes gazing about in wonder. A bright warm sun was shining, and bright green grass flowed for miles in every direction, and for the fist time, in a long time, she felt the warmth of the sun.

She gingerly stretched out a trembling hand, and almost cried when the sunny rays warmed her cold fingers. Suddenly her whole body began to shake.

She was free.

For centuries chained to her cage, but now experiencing the beauty of the sun. She was liberated from the dark, with the sun warming her hands, and the breeze blowing through her hair; it was real, and she was free. She lifted her face up towards the sky, a smile slowly stretching across her face, and then unexpectedly, she laughed. She did not see the surprised faces of her companions, her odd behavior entrancing them both. They looked at each other, neither knowing what to say. The stoic, cold, women before them had transformed into a lighter figure; neither one had even thought the women could smile, but seeing pure joy radiating from her eyes gave them pause.

Her laughter echoed about the silent field, and the Doctor, without knowing why, could not remove his eyes from her.

Her eyes.

Her smile.

A familiar shape formed in his mind, a face began to etch itself before his eyes. It was not the woman's face, but this new face carried the same features; same smile, same laugh...what was she? Who was she?

The women felt their eyes, and suddenly the laughing girl was gone. Her sharp gaze forcing them to look away. Clara almost felt ashamed, as if she had witnessed something she never should have seen.

She looked about herself, trying to understand her surroundings.

"Doctor, where are we?" She called over to him.

The TARDIS had landed in an open field. Grassy hills stretched far into the horizon, and a single willow tree waved to them in the sweet smelling breeze.

The Doctor appeared just as puzzled as she. He turned about himself a few times, seeing nothing but grass and clumps of trees in the far distance.

"Do you hear that?" He finally whispered excitedly. Both the women and Clara stood still and listened.

"I don't hear anything." Clara whispered back.

"Exactly!" He shouted jubilantly. Clara gazed at him confused.

"There are no birds singing," the women stated for her, "these fields are practically empty of life."

"And you sound so excited," Clara sarcastically chided the Doctor.

"It's all very odd, Clara," the Doctor couldn't contain his grin, "something very new as well. Nothing looks familiar."

"What would look familiar? Theres nothing but grass and trees." The woman scoffed. The Doctor bent to pick up a blade of grass and put it to his lips.

"I've seen most of the universe. And from all I've seen, you can recognize things no other can identity." He put the slip of grass into his mouth, then spat it out quickly and wiped his tongue on his sleeve to get rid of the bitter taste.

She opened her mouth to add her own input, when a dark shadow flitted behind the Doctor.

She froze.

An ugly little demon crawled through the grass. Its eyes lifted up to hers, its teeth glistened in the sun.

"We should go." The urgency in her voice startled both Clara and the Doctor.

"Whats wrong?" Clara asked, concerned.

"Nothing..." the women wasn't sure how to convince them to go back to the safety of the TARDIS, "I just have this feeling..."

The Doctor noted how her eyes kept flitting to the spot over his shoulder. He turned, but saw nothing.

"What is it?" Now there was an urgency in his voice, one she wasn't sure how to calm. The demon smiled, seeming to sense her conflict, her helplessness. It sat back onto its haunches, preparing to spring.

A cry escaped from her lips as the demon sprung, its claws ready to strike the Doctor. She lifted her hands to defend him, when the hideous thing was unexpectedly blasted into dust.

River stepped into her view, her gun still drawn.

An audible sigh exhaled from the women, and she was tempted to fling her arms around River in gratitude.

She could feel his stare on her, his judgment felt heavy on her shoulders.

"I thought I saw something." She uttered, she hoped, steadily.

He looked at her questioningly, but she simply turned away, trying to steady her shaking hands. She glanced about, trying to glimpse any possible attacks, but she saw nothing but rippling grass. Confusion marred her brow. How was there only one?

She sensed rather than saw River come to stand behind her.

"How?" River inquired, dismayed. The women shook her head. She didn't dare speak without drawing attention to herself, but she whispered, "Later."

"What did you do?" River continued to press. The women slanted her eyes at River, and continued to walk away from her.

There, amongst the shock in River's eyes, was pain. She caught River's eyes move toward the gangly man with a sadness sweeping over her face that lasted only a moment. River was now hidden behind the veil, while she was free to roam about with him; the man they both loved.

It was disparaging for them both, and she did feel a twinge of sorrow for River, but there was an evil part in her; a part that relished the knowledge that River was finally undertaking what she, herself, had dealt with for centuries.

It was selfish, but exhilarating. It was evil, and she hated herself for welcoming the feeling. She looked up toward the sky, absorbing the warmth of the sun, wishing time would stop, that she could live without regret for just a few moments.

The moment was abruptly stopped when she heard Clara call to them.

"Come look!"

She opened her eyes to see Clara standing beneath the willow tree, pointing to something in the distance; then she saw it.

It was smoke.

They weren't alone after all.

A/N:Well, its been too long, and I hope everyone finds this chapter entertaining. Its been a rough semester, and I've been writing on the side when I find time. I'm not too pleased with how it turned out, but it is what it is. I've been debating on how I want to finish the story, and have changed ideas many, many times. I'll settle down with one eventually! Let me know what you think! /p


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